Amnesia
by PuffinsandPelicans
Summary: One of the members of the SPR wakes up in hospital with almost no recollection of what happened. And while the SPR try to uncover the truth, a sinister onlooker has other ideas...
1. Chapter 1: Run

**(A/N): (I own nothing, by the way) This is dedicated for all those who may be suffering with amnesia. **

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Run.

Run for your life.

That's what he was telling me.

A strange man, all grease and dirt and blood. The grimy substances streaked his face, and the red water ran down his chin. A familiar smell lingered underneath the stench of sweat, the smell of hospitals and sterilised floors. His speech was muffled, like it was underwater. It was hard to hear what he was saying. Whatever it was, he looked desperate. He was repeating the same thing over and over again. Every now and again, he coughed and wretched. It was the smoke, that was it. The air had too much smoke in it.

My head hurt. A lot. It kept on pounding and pounding and pounding. It was so loud, with all the alarms ringing, and I wanted it to stop. Nonetheless, the screaming sirens just wouldn't stop. Neither would the screaming people. Everyone was running and shouting. And I didn't know what to do. I was getting scared. What was happening? I wanted to ask, but my throat was raw and scratching. I couldn't make a sound.

The floor was warm. I looked down at my bare feet. They were purple. But the soles were warm, from the smooth floor. I stared down at it. There was a lot of red on it. The red was on fire…? No, just a reflection. The glassy surface was like a mirror, I could see the fire dancing and the people running. The red ran to my feet. It was luke warm, and made my toes sticky. So it was blood.

Terror was beginning to cling to me. Something was wrong, but I didn't know what. My mind knew that it was dangerous here, but my body felt numb, like I had been injected with anaesthetic. I willed my feet to move, but they ignored me.

Then the man grabbed me. His grip was tight on my arms, and it hurt. I tried to tell him to stop, but my voice was still gone. He shouted something that didn't register, and then began to push me. My feet began to move again, and he lead me through the people and the blood and the fire. Where were we going? The smoke was thick, so I couldn't see. I just let him drag me.

We carried on for a while, until suddenly the smoke was gone. Where was I now? My hands and body shook violently. It was so cold. A blast of air buffeted my face. Outside. It was so cold out here. I wrapped my arms across my chest, shivering, and looked up. The stretch of blue above me was completely clear. The sun was out, and I stared at it mindlessly, until my eyes began to sting. Sharp, dry grass itched at my feet, and when I shuffled backwards a bit, towards the warmth, my feet left behind more red. Around me, there were a lot of trees, and each one cast a looming, clear shadow towards me.

Shadows. Dry grass. Clear sky. No clouds.

It was not cold outside.

So why was I still shivering?

It must have been hot where I last was. It must have been very hot.

But I couldn't remember where I was.

Suddenly, everything was coming back. I was in a room with fire? And smoke? I was in a burning building?

A burning…building?

And the red…it never occurred to me why there would be so much blood. People were dying in that burning building.

I turned around to face where I had just left, and it sent every inch of my body crying in pain.

Behind me, I was met with a mass of flames that consumed a dying frame of concrete. A building. I could still hear screaming inside it.

The man next to me was lying on the ground now. His chest was rising raggedly and irregularly.

"Run…away." He gasped. "Run…"

I just stood there.

"Run!" He shouted.

Then he lay still.

At first, I stared at the man, lying on the grass. But I did not feel anything. No sympathy, no sadness. Instead, I decided to follow his advice.

I ran.

I stumbled towards the trees, tripping and falling. Each time was more difficult to return to running. I was so tired. I wanted to lie down, badly. The trees were spinning all around me, and the rgass was like liquid. No, I had to keep going. Keep going.

But as I fell down again, I knew I could not. On my hands and knees, I wretched and wretched. I came up with disgusting, yellow liquid mixed in with something that turned it suspiciously orange and pink.

Then I heard the voices. Someone was shouting. Was I going mad? No, I wasn't insane. I could see someone walking towards me. A mere silhouette. A person…had someone come to help me?

Yet already I was on my feet and scrambling away.

I ran faster than I ever thought I could. What was wrong with me? Why was I running away from this person, if they could help me? But something inside me wanted to stay away from people as much as possible. So I tore through the undergrowth instead.

Branches whipped at my face. I continued regardless. It was as if the trees were telling me to stop running, warning me of some danger ahead. But I ignored their warning. I had to get away from the person, that was most important right now.

I steadied to a halt. Where was I? Where the hell was I? In the middle of a forest? And why was I here?

Once more, I stumbled through vegetation, coarse and lifeless. A clearing was just up ahead. At last, I burst through.

I was met with a sheer drop.

A river coursed underneath the face of a cliff.

I stared at the dizzying height. The water churned and frothed. It crashed against the rocks, and spray managed to reach me somehow form this high up.

Behind me, the undergrowth erupted. A man charged out. He was not too different from the other man, the man who led me out of the building. His clothes were stained with black and red. And he stank of disinfectant. For some reason, that smell made my heart freeze, and filled me up with cold dread.

The gun he was carrying was most worrying of all.

"Hey, kid, come back. Come back from the cliff." He rasped.

I shook my head.

"What…? Look, just come with me and everything will be fine." His words were coated with honey, and it made me step backwards, closer to the edge.

"Stay away from the edge!" The honey was gone, replaced with a harsh sting to his tone.

I was tired. Very tired. I didn't care anymore, about anything. I just wanted to sleep.

So I spread out my arms, and felt the wind and spume pushing against my back. The man was screaming angrily, so I just closed my eyes and blocked it out.

Then the water engulfed me. And everything became still.


	2. Chapter 2: Awake

**(A/N): Eh, my first fan fiction! Everything is so complicated...Um, I do not own anything. I wish I did, but I don't. Anyway, hope you enjoy. :)**

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_Beep…Beep…Beep…_

The smell of disinfectant.

_Beep…Beep…Beep…_

He is here. He is here.

_Beep…Beep…Beep…_

He is going to kill me.

I snapped awake.

_Beep..Beep..Beep..Beep..Beep.._

Someone was whispering. Someone was holding me down. Someone was injecting something sharp into my arm.

"No…No…St-stop…" I slurred, trying to annunciate words. It was difficult with the plastic tube that was stuck in my mouth. The panic was worse. But the stab in my arm began to dull, and I was slipping away again.

The next time I woke up, no one was there. Just a steady beeping noise. I opened my eyes, to find a painful, stabbing mess of blinding white. The tube in my mouth was forcing air into my lungs, I could taste the artificial fumes. My body felt clean, and there were bandages winding around and around me. I groaned, and tried to struggle into an upright position. My attempt was pathetic – I hardly raised my head an inch before all energy lost me.

An empty lingering of painful throbbing bounced around my skull, but it was fading swiftly away into nothing. Spasms danced across my chest, though, in my bones. I must have at least bruised or cracked my ribs. Each breath I took was laborious. I tried to move my arm, and realised it was in a cast and sling.

The sound of a heel against the floor drew my attention. Someone was here.

"Oh, you're awake. Excellent. I must tell the doctor." A woman's indifferent voice resounded from somewhere in the room, but I made no effort to try and see who it was.

"…Who are you?" I asked instead.

"I am Nurse Honda. You were brought here a week ago."

A week ago? "What happened?"

"Don't you remember? A couple who had been out camping found you washed up on the river bank."

River bank…?

A dim flash of a memory sparked in my mind; standing at that cliff, with the river beneath me.

"Wait just a moment, I must go tell the doctor." The woman left the room, allowing me to reside to my own broken thoughts and memories.

Right, I was in a hospital. I had been brought here by a couple, apparently…I did not remember it at all, so I must have been unconscious. But what about beforehand? I could recall being on the cliff, and falling…no, jumping into the river. Why did I do that?...Someone was…chasing me? Yes, that man had a gun…even so, why did I jump? Why didn't I fight or reason with him? For some reason, something about him…terrified me…

Ok, time to think even further back…I was running through some woods, I remembered that…and before that, I was with a different man. Who was he? I didn't recognise him. And he was telling me to run, and then he…died…outside that building –

The building. There was building, and it was on fire. And there had been people inside that building, I hear them…screaming…

But what was the building? Why was I there? Why did I need to run away from there? How did the fire start? Why did the first man help me? Why did the second man have a gun? Oh God, nothing made any sense…I couldn't remember any further back than the building being on fire.

Someone walked into the room again.

"Ah, you are awake." It was a man's voice, monotone and dull. It lacked any kind of empathy or emotion.

I heard the sound of a chair being dragged, up to my bed, and the man sat down in it. The stink of cigarettes was overpowering. "My name is Doctor Nakamura. Can I ask you a few questions?"

I nodded.

"First of all, who are you?"

The question took me by surprise. And initially, I struggled to answer it. But after a minute or so of thinking, dredges of memories had provided me with an answer.

"John…Brown. I think…Yeah, that's me." I confirmed, more to myself.

"Ok, Brown-san, you are clearly foreign. Where are you from?"

"Um…Australia."

"What is your job, over here in Japan?"

I was in Japan? I forgot about that. Wait…so I was speaking Japanese? I hadn't even realised…

"I work in Shibuya Hospital. I also work as a Catholic priest." The information was coming more fluently and confidently now. I could remember facts about my own life, facts that had disappeared temporarily.

"Good, you seem to be doing ok. Now, can you tell me what happened to you?"

"Huh?"

"Well, you were found in a river, that's one thing."

"Oh, I, uh, I fell in. Off a cliff."

The doctor frowned, but said nothing on the matter. "And before that?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"Brown-san, something happened to you. And we are rather…concerned."

"Why?"

The doctor sighed, and shifted uncomfortably. "We have…examined you. And you show signs of…well, it's clear you've at least been in a fight of some kind."

"A fight?" I swallowed. Somehow, the doctor's expression was making me nervous. He was eyeing me with suspicion and…pity.

"Doctor, what do you mean?" I insisted again.

Again, the doctor shuffled on his seat. He examined closely his identity badge, twirling it around in his fingers, as if looking to the picture for an excuse to give.

"…You have been severely beaten, Brown-san. Severely beaten." He stressed the words. "Your skin shows ligature marks, and several other signs of…abuse. Please tell me what happened."

I closed my eyes. "I don't know."

"Think harder."

"I don't know." I repeated.

The doctor sighed impatiently. "Ok then, what is the earliest memory you can recollect?"

I strained my memory, tried to think back past the smudge of vacant thoughts. It made me feel sick and nauseous, but I persisted anyway.

"Um…I was…leaving work…"

That was it.

That was all I could remember.

"…Is that all?" The doctor echoed my thoughts.

"…Yeah." I swallowed.

The doctor sighed once more. "Was there anything unusual, or suspicious you encountered?"

After some thought, I came up with nothing.

"You at least know the date? Of the last day you can remember?" The doctor suggested.

"March…March the 5th…"

The doctor frowned. "Are you sure?"

I nodded. "Mmhm."

"How do you remember?"

"My cousin called me, and she was excited for a game that was being released."

"Your cousin?"

"Yeah."

"If I were to call this cousin, could she verify this?"

I nodded, still confused. "Why would you need to verify it?"

The doctor opened his mouth to speak, then closed it swiftly, as if he had changed his mind. For a moment, he remained silent, fidgeting with the identity badge again. Finally, he spoke up.

"Today is the 4th of April."

I stared at him. April?

"If this information is correct, you've been...missing...for a month."


	3. Chapter 3: Purple

**(A/N): Yeah, you may have noticed I said John works in a hospital...I put it in because I thought he would need another job beside being a priest and an exorcist. I'm not sure if this is true or not, but I like to think so. Eeeeeh my first review! Thank you very much!**

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I was discharged from the hospital a week later. By then, my ribs were almost fully healed after they had been cracked, although my arm was still in a sling. According to Doctor Nakamura, I had been at the hospital for two weeks now. And according to snatches of conversation from nurses, the week I had been unconscious, I had been quite an 'irritating' patient. I heard them say I would wake up the whole ward with screaming and hysterics, none of which I could remember. The more information I found out, the more I was disturbed.

The doctor had decided I was suffering from amnesia, or rather suppressed memories. And no matter how he tried, my mind remained a complete blank.

"There is no telling how long your memories will stay locked up." He had informed me. "Could be weeks, could be months. You may wake up tomorrow and remember everything." That never happened. Each morning I woke up, I would stare mindlessly at the ceiling, and wait for the memories to come flooding back.

No such luck.

The streets of Tokyo were more chaotic and busy than I remembered. Each person that strode passed seemed to walk more…violently, more briskly. The traffic blared, and the neon lights made my head swim. Shuffling along the pavement, I pulled my coat tighter around me. It was a coat I did not remember ever possessing. In truth, all the clothes I wore were not mine. Apparently, they belonged to the couple who found me. Not even the shoes belonged to me – they belonged to the hospital.

In the end, I caught a bus. My feet had brought me to a bus stop automatically, acting through my daily routine of their own accord. Doctor Nakamura had told me that, while I recovered and regained my memories, I would find myself falling into patterns and habits that I might not necessarily remember doing or why.

"Look out carefully for them." He had advised me. "They might just be small things, unimportant things. But if you are able to recognise them, it will make it easier to recognise if your behaviour has changed at all, if you start doing things you wouldn't normally do, or even if you have stopped doing things you normally would."

At first, his hasty explanation and my overwhelming tiredness meant I did not really follow what he said. The fact it was in Japanese really didn't help. But now, sitting on the bus as it shook and rattled to a halt, I was thankful for this automatic routine. So far, it had gotten me to the bus, and I remembered that I lived in the outer suburbs of the city. Well, at least I was remembering something.

Climbing off the bus, I found myself facing a small, concrete apartment block. A purple-flowered plant was growing up the side of the wall, like ivy, and I could see, on one of the balconies, a vast array of plants. It all felt strangely familiar.

Wait, I have no keys, I realised with a jolt. How could I get in if I had no keys? I hadn't thought of that…

"Brown-san!"

I turned around. An elderly woman was approaching the flats, leant over on a walking stick. Her clothes were completely black and formal, with not even a splash of colour. An old and taut face peered at me curiously.

"Good afternoon, Abe-san." The words sprung from my lips without even thinking.

"I've just been visiting the grave." The woman – Abe-san – informed me, hobbling forwards and taking out a set of keys. The name flashed in my mind: Chikaki Abe, an old widow. I think she lived on floor 2…yes, she was the owner of the apartment, and she was the one who kept all the plants. In fact, she had even planted the purple wall flower.

"The wisteria is coming out nicely." I remarked as she limped past me towards the door.

"Yes, it's bloomed early this year." She told me as she fiddled with the lock. "Oh, before I forget, you really worried me, you know that? All of us here, even Yamazaki-san on floor four. We almost sent out a missing person report."

I frowned. Almost? If I had been missing for a month…Why hadn't they reported it to the police?

"If your colleague hadn't told us you were on a business trip, we honestly would have gone to the police." She continued.

"Um, which colleague, Abe-san?" I asked quickly. Who would say that?

"Let me think…" She leaned on the door frame and tapped her walking stick on the ground as she thought.

"…You know, I just can't remember." She shook her head. "My memory is not what it used to be. You're young, you wouldn't understand."

I did not reply to such an ironic statement. Unfortunately, I understood perfectly well. Instead, I asked her,

"I'm sorry, but do you have a spare key to the apartment? I've misplaced mine."

Abe-san turned around in surprise. "You? Lost your key? Well, I never. I always thought you kept it very safe, Brown-san. Where did you last have it?"

"Um…I can't remember."

Abe-san laughed. "You're almost getting as bad as me, Brown-san!" I laughed half-heartedly with her. Chuckling, she pressed a small key into my hand.

"Here you go. Take care of this one, ok?"

I nodded. "Thank you, Abe-san."

The apartment room was cold and filled with stale dust. No one had been here for a while. As I walked into the room, the alarm beeped in irritation, until I pressed a code and it ceased. Again, my hands just moved to the right buttons. Underneath, the floor boards creaked in tension when I placed a tentative step on them. Everything looked normal, nothing was out of place. If anything, the room felt more tidy than it should be. The kitchen was clean, nothing was lying stranded on the floor. Even so, I moved cautiously around the rooms, searching for any intruders who might have come in.

Intruders?

An alarm bell went off in my mind. I had never looked for intruders before, I was sure of it. It was not part of any daily routine I had ever done. So why was I looking now?

I shook my head. Perhaps I was being paranoid. I hadn't been here in a while, it was…natural to look for any signs of trouble, especially with a month-worth of holes in my memory. Anyway, after a thorough search of the apartment rooms, I found that the place was safe. No one dangerous was there, and nothing dangerous had been placed here while I was away. Sighing in relief, for some reason, I slumped down on my bed. Everything was so tiring and…confusing. And these clothes were too big for me. Shrugging off the oversized coat, I pulled open a draw from my wardrobe and grabbed a shirt. It was nicely covered in dust. Shaking it out, I checked it for any remaining patches of grime, and then pulled off the shirt I was currently wearing.

Then I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror.

It was only a glimpse, from inside the bathroom. I had left the door open, and I could just see a small snatch of the mirror from inside my bedroom. But as soon as I saw the reflection, I froze. Swallowing the dread that had worked its way up my throat, I walked to the bathroom and opened the door wide.

Above the sink, a mirror was hanging. And my reflection was cast inside it. But I was shocked by what I saw. I knew I was heavily wrapped in bandages, but I did not realise how much there really was. All around my chest, and around my arms too. Even my forehead was bandaged up carefully. My face was so pale, more so than I had ever seen it. And I was very, very thin. My rib cage was visible beneath the skin. I was thankful they were healed. But what concerned me the most was the thick, purple mark around my neck. Like someone had been choking me.

I did not sleep well that night.


	4. Chapter 4: Colleague

**(A/N): I don't own anything, I forgot to add that last time. By the way, the game Sinead is talking about is that new Lara Croft game. I think I might introduce her later on, I'm not sure. Thank you for reading this!**

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"Hey, John! Sinead here. The game is so good! The graphics, aaaaaaah! Ring back as soon as you get this, kay? Bye!"

-_Beep-_

"Excuse me, Father Brown, this is Father Toujou. I was just wondering why you didn't show up for mass today? Is something wrong? Please, ring me when you get this."

-_Beep_-

"Hello, Brown-san, this is the Shibuya Hospital. You failed to show up for your shift today, and you have not rung to give a reason. Please do so, and in future, if there is any reason why you may not show up, ring in advance."

-_Beep_-

"Hey, John-kun! It's Mai. Um, I'm sorry it's really short notice, but we've got a case, and Naru's wondering if you could come help out? It's an old theatre in the city centre. Ring back if you get this."

-_Beep_-

"Joooohn, why you no pick up phone? Sinead is sad. Pleaaase ring back."

-_Beep_-

"Oh, Father Brown, this is Father Toujou again. I apologise, I did not realise you were on a business trip. I hope you find it useful."

-_Beep_-

"Hello, Brown-san, this is Shibuya Hospital. We were told you are currently on a business trip, even though you did not book a holiday. In advance, please book for a leave, or at least notify someone in reception. Thank you."

-_Beep_-

"John-kun, this is Mai again. I don't want to, um, impose, but, uh, why aren't you returning any calls? Is something wrong? Please call back if you get this."

-_Beep_-

"Sinead here. How come you're on a business trip? Some guy just rang me and said you're going off for a business trip? Why didn't you tell me? He said you might be out of contact for a while. Well, as soon as you get this, ring back."

-_Beep_-

"Sinead here. You know what? I'm coming to Japan, I've booked the plane tickets. I'll see you over there."

I stared at my feet as the answering machine rolled off the messages one by one. As each beep sounded, and another message played, I found myself wondering more and more who exactly made up this excuse about the business trip. I would have to ask.

-_Beep_-

"Hey, it's Mai again. Umm…I know you're on a business trip and stuff, but we were all wondering when you'd be coming back? You might not get this message, but if you do, call

back when you get it, ok?"

In the end, I had not called the police. Well, apparently, Doctor Nakamura had contacted the police, but so far no one had acted or visited. They promised to 'keep it in mind', but I doubted they gave my case any second thought. They probably had more urgent cases to investigate than some foreigner who was suffering amnesia. I didn't really care, though. The problem was, Doctor Nakamura and everyone at the hospital was trying to make me remember, forcing me to regain my memories. The police would do the same. The thing was, while I wanted to find out what happened, I had decided I did not want to remember it. The mere snippets of memories were enough to make my blood run cold. After looking in the mirror and seeing that mark, I was now even more determined that whatever nightmare occurred during that month, the memory would stay under lock and key. Was I able to achieve both goals? I hoped so.

Nervously, I picked up the phone and dialled in the hospital number. The tone rang for a while, then someone picked up.

"Hello, this is Shibuya hospital, how may I help?" I heard the receptionist's voice, a bored young woman.

"Um, this is John Brown. I've been absent recently."

"Ah, Brown-san. We received an email from your colleague."

I froze. The 'colleague' Abe-san mentioned. Quickly, I grabbed a scrap of paper and the closest pencil I could snatch.

"Um, which colleague?" I asked.

"He's introduced himself as Naoki Kobayashi. He said he works with Father Toujou and you at Church."

I frowned. No one by that name worked at the Church. I scribbled down 'hospital', the name of the colleague, and next to it, I wrote 'Church'. The writing was scrawled and slanted, due to one hand being in a sling.

"Well, I should be able to make it in for next week." I told the receptionist.

"Ok, I'll write you in for then. Is that all?" The receptionist's voice sounded irritated, probably for my unauthorised absence. Somehow, I felt that she did not quite deserve to criticise when she did not appear to realise I had been hospitalised for two weeks in the same building.

"Um, by any chance, did my…colleague…visit you?"

"No, we just received the email."

"Ok, thank you."

The phone hung up, and I quickly dialled in Father Toujou's number.

"…Hello?"

"Father Toujou, it's me, Father Brown."

"Oh, Father Brown! It's been a very long time, hasn't it? A month, I'd say."

"Yes, I'm sorry about that."

"Did you enjoy your business trip? It was for a case, was it not? From Shibuya Psychic Research? "

Again, I paused. A case from SPR?

"…Um, yes. Did you…talk to one of my colleagues?"

"No, not exactly. They sent me an email, to say you might be gone for some time. I think it was from that tall Chinese man."

Since when did Lin send out emails? "Ah, I see. I just wanted to make sure you got the message. I'm sorry it was such short notice."

"That's fine. Will you be coming to mass on Sunday?"

"Yes, I'll definitely be there."

"Wonderful. I'll see you then."

On the piece of paper, I wrote 'Church:', then 'Lin' and 'SPR'. I guess it was time to ring SPR now. With no hesitation now, I dialled in the number and waited in anticipation for someone to pick up.

"Hello, Shibuya Psychic Research. This is Mai Taniyama speaking, how may I help you?"

"Um, it's John." I wondered what the excuse would be this time.

"Eh, John-kun? Finally! We've been sending you loads of emails and messages, and you never responded! Where have you been? A business trip, right? For your hospital training or something? Wow, we haven't spoken for a whole month! It feels like ages! Everyone was wondering where you were, you know."

So now it was hospital training. "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to disappear like that. I assume you got the message, right?"

"Yeah, a guy called Masaru Sato emailed to say everyone was on a trip to improve your performances." I recognised the name Masaru Sato; it was the care taker at the hospital.

"Well, anyway, we've just received a case, and now that you're back, would it be ok if you helped out?" Mai asked hopefully.

"Um, yeah sure."

"Great! It's a case from this manager of an estate agency. He wants to sell this house, but there are loads of rumours and stories about strange things happening in it, so Naru agreed to investigate. I'll email you the address and details. We're heading over there tomorrow, it's not too far away from Tokyo."

"Ah, ok." Meanwhile, I was already writing down this new information – 'SPR:', 'Masaru Sato' and 'hospital'.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then!" The phone hung up once more. I looked down at the scrap of paper in my hands. So someone emailed each work place, pretending to be from a different work place, and informed my real colleagues I was on a business trip, changing the name each time. The information worried me, that someone would go to such lengths in order to cover my disappearance. It could be easily found out, after all, so whoever was doing this was taking a risk. But something stuck out to me. So far, it seemed that this mysterious 'colleague' was acting through email. All except Abe-san had not seen this person. Why did this person show up in person to Abe-san, yet act through email the rest of the time? Whoever this 'colleague' was, they had been acting carefully all this time, so to reveal their appearance to Abe-san seemed a bit…strange.

When the phone rang again, I almost jumped out of my skin. Fumbling for the phone awkwardly with my good hand, I answered it.

"Hello?"

"This is Shibuya Hospital, we were just ringing to tell you that your colleague left behind a message for you."

A message? "Oh, what kind of message?"

"He wanted you to know that he's looking for you. He just rang now, so I told him I would pass on a message."

I swallowed. "He's…looking for me?"

"Yes, but the system crashed, so I just said I'd pass on the message and he said ok and hung up. I don't know what's up with the computer system here, it's ridiculous…"

As the receptionist talked on, my mind went completely blank. I could hear her words, but they did not seem to sink in. For I was suddenly very, very afraid.

"…anyway, I better hang up, the others will kill me for rambling on while I'm meant to be working. Bye."

-_Beeeeeeeeeeeeeep_-

So my 'colleague' was looking for me.

Something told me that wasn't a good thing.


	5. Chapter 5: Whispers

**(A/N): I do not own anything. Unfortunately. Thank you very much for the reviews! You've been so nice about my story! They make me happy :) I hope you enjoy this chapter! Oh, in case you're wondering, this is after book 12. John just prefers to call Naru 'Kazuya'.**

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The first one to see me was Takigawa. He was moving equipment from the van that was parked outside a large, stone building. At first, he simply waved at me and beckoned me over. But when I got nearer, he froze and stared. He did this for a minute or so, until I finally reached him. And when I arrived, he just looked at me, waiting for an answer to his unasked question. I stared down at my feet uncomfortably, trying desperately to recall the excuse I had gone over and over in my mind on the way over.

"…What happened?" In the end, it was Takigawa who broke the silence. He seemed unable to say anything else.

I glanced up at him. "Um…well…" I could tell him. At first, I had decided against it. I didn't want everyone worrying. We needed to focus on the case. If I said anything, that focus might shift, and that wasn't fair on Kazuya or Lin. Besides, with so much information missing from my mind, I felt a bit…uneasy with the thought of having the focus on me, especially considering my current state. But…I trusted Takigawa. He would understand.

I closed my eyes, took a breath out, and when I opened them again, I felt a stronger resolve inside me.

"I don't know." Takigawa was both bemused and slightly angry with my answer.

"What do you mean? What kind of cop-out answer is that?" He demanded.

I sighed. "No, I mean I really don't know. I…I have amnesia." As soon as the word was out, I felt myself tense while I waited for his response. He did not reply, though – my answer had reduced him to shocked silence.

"Look, I…" I pursed my lips. "I woke up in hospital, and…I can't remember what happened all last month." Once the situation had been explained, I felt both a burden lifted from my chest and a guilt layered on. Was it really ok for me to be telling him this? Would he decide that he preferred not knowing? Having amnesia was a lot for me to take on board, so I didn't know what it would be like for Takigawa.

"…So you can't remember anything? Anything that happened?" At last he spoke up. His tone was soft.

At once my mind flashed back to the river, the burning building.

But I just shook my head. "…No. Nothing."

"Are the police doing anything?"

"Well, yes, but…I'm not a top priority." Takigawa frowned as I told him this, so I quickly added, "But that's fine. There are probably more important cases they're working on."

"Wait, that means…you have no idea why your arm is broken and you're all beaten up? And what's wrong with your neck?" He stared at the bandage I had wrapped around my neck.

"Um, I just…cut it." I played with the hem between my fingers, wishing that people would stop pointing it out. He did not need to know the details of my injuries, or what Doctor Nakamura had told me. The information burdened me heavily already, and a part of me did not want to accept that my injuries had been caused by another person, despite what I had found out yesterday about the 'colleague'. I didn't want to burden him with the same disturbing information.

"…Yeah, I have no clue. But look, please don't tell the others about this."

"Why not?" Once again, I found myself staring at my feet, trying to avoid his unwavering gaze.

"I just feel…I think that…" Suddenly, no words were forming at all. Takigawa seemed to understand, though.

"Ok, I won't tell them. But what will you tell them?"

"Uhh…" I shrugged. "I'll tell them I was in an accident or something, I guess."

Takigawa placed his hand on my shoulder. Somehow, the small movement made me feel uncomfortable, although it was meant to be a reassuring action.

"Is there anything else you want to tell me?" He asked, his words slow and deliberate.

…_he's looking for you…_

I shook my head. "No. There's not really anything else to say."

The van was parked in a large, empty field, behind an old building. The place was made from old fashioned stone, but from the look of the plastic slabs dotted around in the walls and the scraps of metal that were lying about, the place had been repaired recently. That made sense – Mai had mentioned the case was from an estate agency who wanted to sell the house. Although they must have been desperate to sell it if they called in a paranormal research team, the company didn't appear to have renovated the building particularly well. The tiles, half of them having been replaced, were mismatching in both colour and shape. Ivy had been scraped half-heartedly from the walls, so that several large chunks of the plant still remained. Faint outlines of graffiti were still on the windows, refusing to be scrubbed away. And the field was not well kept, either. The grass was torn up and uneven, and the only other plant growing was a large patch of thick stinging nettles. Even these were flattened from something, probably a car, and looked dried up and pitiful.

"So, someone wants to sell all this?" I remarked in surprise, peering at the old house. "They haven't kept care of it, have they?"

"Not really. But the manager must be desperate to sell it if he called in paranormal experts."

"You'd think he'd fix the house better if he wanted to sell it, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah. Maybe he's just tight on money."

"By the way, where are the others?" Only Takigawa was here. Kazuya, Mai and the others were nowhere to be seen.

"They're just bringing in some equipment." He told me. "They'll be out soon. Ayako-kun and Masako-kun will be arriving later."

As if on cue, Mai appeared from around the front of the house. Hurriedly, she ran to the van where we were standing.

"Hey, what're you – " Just like Takigawa, she froze when she saw me. But unlike Takigawa, she did not stay in silence for long.

"Oh my gosh, what happened?! You're all beaten up! And your arm, it's broken! Did you get into a fight? You look so pale!"

I found myself being interrogated by her. Soon, Ayako and Masako arrived, and after the initial shock, they too joined in with their questions.

"A car accident? You were hit by a car?" Mai's eyes were round with shock.

"How terrible." Masako was calm, like always, hiding her mouth behind her kimono sleeve.

"I'd like a word or two with whoever was in that car." Ayako declared, her eyes narrowed as she thought of what kind of words she would be saying.

"Do the police know who did it?" Mai asked. "Are you going to get compensation or something?"

I shook my head. "I don't know what's happening."

The three of them muttered among themselves, despite my presence.

"Are you finished?" It was Kazuya, looking irritated. He gestured over to the van, half-emptied of its equipment. However, today Mai was not going to empathise.

"Naru, this is important! John-kun was hit by a car!" She gave him a look that dared him to contradict her. Kazuya glanced over at me, looking me up and down. His gaze was critical and searching.

"…A car accident, huh…" Was his response. I shuffled nervously, and spoke up,

"Um, shouldn't we be moving things?"

"Well, you can't with an arm in a sling." He raised his eye brow at my sling. "I want you to talk to the people that experienced the hauntings."

I nodded eagerly. "Sure, who exactly do I need to speak to?"

"As far as I know, the builders who worked on the building, some hikers and some teenagers who broke in for an art project."

"An art project?" Ayako sounded sceptical.

"Yes, abandoned houses are often sources of inspiration for budding artists. Not that you would know, I'm guessing creativity is not your strong suit."

"Was that meant to be an insult? I'm disappointed, Naru." Ayako scoffed, examining her nails.

"I don't feel I should waste my intellect on a petty argument with you when there are more important things to be doing."

Ayako huffed, muttering something under her breath that I did not understand. From her tone, I did not want to.

A group of three teenagers stood outside the main door, shuffling from one foot to another in the cold. Two girls and a boy, they were still wearing their Japanese uniform, although the boy had slackened the collar and pulled on a worn leather jacket. The girls had not brought any extra clothing, but appeared to be regretting it, since they were shivering. Whispering to each other anxiously, they glanced to the building behind them several times, as if expecting something to jump out at them. When I approached, and they saw my beaten appearance, they only whispered more. However, they stopped when they caught sight of Lin, who had come to act as scribe since my writing was not very legible right now.

"Um…how long is this going to take?" The boy asked immediately.

"Not long." It was Lin who spoke up. "So we'd be very grateful if you could answer our questions." Although his words were meant to be polite, somehow his tone was threatening. The boy fell silent, though one of the girls whispered to him,

"I told you we shouldn't have come back."

"They're ghost hunters, I thought it's be interesting." He hissed back.

I decided to being asking questions. "So, you first came to this house three weeks ago, at about 10pm?"

They turned their attention to me. "Yeah. We wanted some ideas for an art project. Nothing bad, just an art project." The boy stressed.

"And it wasn't as if anybody put up a sign or anything." The first girl added. "Like, we didn't see a 'no trespassing' sign."

"And the place is so rundown, we didn't realise that someone was fixing the place to sell." The second girl interjected quickly. She looked uncomfortable being here. I did not know whether it was because she was afraid of getting into trouble, or if she was scared of the building.

"What exactly did you see?"

The three looked at each other. "Well, it wasn't so much what we saw…" The boy told me.

"Yeah…It's more what we heard." The first girl explained.

"What did you hear, then?"

"Well, we were on the top floor, and we heard this really loud dripping noise." The other girl told me.

"Dripping?"

"Yeah, just continuously. We just ignored it, but after a while it got really annoying. So we went to see where it was coming from."

"We ended up opening up this door that was locked, cos that's where we thought we heard it from. But then it stopped really suddenly." The boy continued. "And the whispering began."

"At first, we thought that it was someone playing a prank. But no one was there, we swear." He insisted, despite nothing being said on my behalf.

"Yeah. And it wasn't just, like, one person whispering. It sounded like a ton of people." The first girl described.

"How many would you say exactly?"

"Loads. Like, I don't know, a big crowd. It was loud, you know? Kind of like when the whole class starts whispering and it gets louder and louder because we're all speaking at once."

"Do you know what was being said?"

"It sounded like a load of different languages all mixed together." The first girl tilted her head. "I think I picked up some English, German and some others that I didn't recognise."

"Did you hear any Japanese?"

"Yeah." The second girl was barely audible. "Someone was asking me to…to help them."

The first girl turned to her, shocked. "Yumi! Why didn't you tell us?!"

Yumi sighed, biting her lip. "I didn't…look, it really freaked me out. I didn't want to talk about it." However, the first girl was not swayed.

"What if there's someone in there?" She looked horrified at the thought. "And we just abandoned them there?"

The boy paled. "If there is someone in there…"

The first girl clasped her hand around her mouth. "No…"

I looked between them. "What else did you hear?"

Again, they exchanged a few nervous whispers. Finally, the boy turned to me.

"It sounded like…someone was clawing on the walls. And the door too. What if someone was stuck? I mean, we didn't go into all of the rooms, so what if someone's in there?"

This was a startling thought. "Well, that was three weeks ago, and the house has been opened up completely by the builders, so if someone was stuck in there, they probably would have been found by now." I tried to ease their mind.

They nodded thoughtfully.

"Is that it? You didn't hear or see anything else?" While the boy and the first girl nodded, Yumi seemed a bit more unsure.

"Can we go now?" The first girl checked her phone impatiently. "I need to be getting home."

"Yeah, me too." The boy rubbed his cold hands.

I looked to Lin, and he nodded. At once, the two of them hurried past me, towards the narrow road that stretched past the house, where I could see three bikes left on the turf. However, Yumi faltered.

"…Is there something you want to tell us?" I asked her. She crossed her arms tightly and stared down at her feet.

"I, uh…" She swallowed. "I saw a woman."

Lin, who had been losing interest, at once looked up from his notes and stared intently.

"A woman?"

"Yeah. Well, not like an old woman. She looked fairly young. Probably…mid 20s, I'd say."

"Where did you see her?"

Yumi froze. "Umm…well, you see…the other two wanted me to go and…get some booze. So, I…I bought some, and I was coming back to the house with it, and she was just…standing there. On the door step."

"What did she look like?"

"Um, she was tall and pretty. Brown hair. It was long, and kind of messy. She was wearing weird clothes, like…some kind of blue uniform…? It wasn't a school one, that's for sure."

"Did she say anything?"

"No, she just watched me. I called out to her, I thought the other two might have called on some friends, but she didn't say anything. Eventually, she turned around and walked into the house. When I asked my friends if they had invited anyone else around, they denied it."

"Why didn't you mention this earlier?"

"They just thought I had already started drinking and didn't take me seriously, so I..." She shrugged.

"Was this before or after the whispering?"

"Before. We left after the whispering."

"Did you see her at all again?"

"Um…once. We were already far down the road, on our bikes, and I looked back and I think she was standing on the door step again. Look, can I go now?" The two other teenagers were already at their bikes, and were beckoning to Yumi.

"Yeah, thanks for your time." Relieved to be leaving, she hurried towards her friends. They left promptly, and cycled away from the house at a surprisingly fast speed.

I turned to Lin. "A woman? What do you think of that?"

He grunted noncommittally. "Could have been making it up. Sounded quite dramatic, but vague in detail."

"What about the whispering?"

"I'm not sure." He did not offer any more speculations, and instead began walking around the back of the house, to the field. I hastily followed him.

In the field, by the van, I saw that the last pieces of equipment were just being brought out. While Mai and Takigawa struggled with the last pieces, Ayako and Masako returned from what I assumed was a search for any spirits.

Kazuya, who had been leafing through files and building plans, looked up at our arrival.

"Well? What did you find out?"

Lin passed him the notes he had made, and Kazuya scanned through them. It took him a mere few seconds to read the whole lot.

"So, whispering, scratching, and a woman…" He muttered, and handed the notes back.

"They mentioned something about dripping, too." I added. "I mean, it doesn't sound important, but who knows."

Kazyua nodded, and beckoned the others over, and read them the details.

"Matsuzaki-san and Hara-san, did you feel any presence?"

Masako looked back towards the building, troubled. "It's strange. There is a definite presence here, and the spirits seem to have a strong connection with this building."

Kazuya frowned. "How many are there, would you say?"

"Several. At least thirty. Maybe more. They do not seem to be angry."

"Oh, so it's like a hollow spirit?" Mai interrupted.

Masako gave her a brief, poisonous glance. "I wasn't finished, Taniyama-san. No, they are quite complacent. So I do not know why they are reacting in such a way to people who come here. I think, if anything, they are very glad when people come here, and are trying to catch our attention. Harming us is not what they want."

"So, it's an innocent haunting?" Again, it was Mai who spoke.

"I wouldn't say innocent. Rather, they don't have malicious intentions. They just want to be noticed."

"It's strange, though, isn't it?" Kazuya looked deep in thought. "That kind of behaviour…well, they're either desperate or they're being childish. But the teenager said she saw a woman, right?"

I nodded. "Mid twenties, apparently."

"And they were calling for help." Lin added.

"So maybe they really are just desperate spirits. But what do they want?" Kazyua mused.

"I don't know." Masako admitted. "Perhaps they suffered a trauma before their death, and do not actually realise they have passed away. There could be many reasons. But you mentioned a woman?"

"Why, did you see her?" Masako shook her head.

"No. They are hiding from me, so I can't tell who is actually there. I just don't understand why they are doing this, if they revealed themselves to those teenagers."

"Maybe they only come out for certain people?" Takigawa scratched his head and looked to the building.

"But why teenagers? And there are the builders and those hikers, too." Ayako reminded him.

"They must share something in common." Kazuya decided. "We just need to find out what that is."

"Well, shall we head in and take a look around?" Takigawa suggested. "We might as well."

Kazuya did not seem so sure. "Hara-san, would you say it is safe?"

However, she nodded. "Yes, they do not seem particularly active right now. After all, it is still light. I doubt they'll try anything before night time."

With this being said, Kazuya simply nodded, shared a glance with Lin, and the two of them began to walk towards the house. The others followed, with Mai dashing to Kazuya at the front, Takigawa and Ayako trading insults behind, and Masako lingering at the back. For a brief moment, I watched them, and I was glad that I had not told the others about my amnesia. Takigawa did not seem too troubled with it either, so that was a relief. At least that was something off my mind.

"But you'd better remember soon. Before it's too late."

I spun around. A woman was standing behind me. She watched me with vacant eyes.

"…I'm sorry?" Who was this person?

The woman raised her finger to her lips. "Shhh." Her hair was brown, tangled and matted in large knots. She looked young, perhaps in her twenties. And she wore a strange, blue uniform, like some kind of hospital gown. Just like Yumi had described.

She leaned forwards. "Hurry, Brown-san. He's coming for you."

Suddenly, my arm was beginning to ache. Every inch of my skin crawled. And suddenly, my neck felt tight. Like someone was gripping it.

"John-kun! Are you coming?" It was Mai, calling for me. I looked around to her, where she stood by the house.

"Um, yeah…" I called back, my voice feeling hoarse. "I'll be there in a second." This woman…how did she know me? And how did she know about my amnesia?

But when I turned back to ask, she had disappeared.


	6. Chapter 6: Screens

**(A/N): Hi, sorry this update took a while. I'll try and update more quickly, but I won't be writing next week because I have some mock exams to take. Thank you for reading my fanfic, and thank you to everyone who left reviews. You've all been so nice about my fanfic! And if you haven't left a review, please, please do!**

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The inside of the house was no better refurbished than the outside. Wooden stairs were hollowed from decay. Mould, only half-treated, stained the walls and the floors. The air was thick with dust and fibres from the building work. Despite the poor state of the house, though, everything felt peaceful and quiet. Serene, even. But I was far from calm.

"I have contacted the builders who saw any strange incidents. They'll arrive later on this evening." Kazuya was talking, but only a part of me was listening. It looked like the spirits hadn't wanted to wait until nightfall. But who was that woman? Why had she appeared? And how did she know me and my situation?

"The first thing to do is go a check the temperatures. Mai-kun and Takigawa-san, please go do that. Hara-san and Matsuzaki-san, please search the area one last time for spirits. Brown-san, you stay here with Lin."

And, whoever that woman was, she had come with a warning. "_He's coming for you._" Who? Did this woman know what happened last month? And the real identity of my 'colleague'?

"What will you do while we do all the work?" Mai teased.

"I've arranged to meet with some of the builders who were working on the site when they experienced some of the hauntings."

"All by yourself?" I snapped back to focus. Lin did not look happy at the idea.

Kazuya rolled his eyes. "Yes, all by myself. What is the worse that could happen? Honestly?"

Lin did not respond, but instead gave Kazuya a look of disapproval.

"Besides, I want you to stay here with Brown-san. If something happens, he might not be able to defend himself." At once, I felt all eyes on me. Nervously, I stared down at the ground. It was the easiest way to pretend I wasn't there.

"After all, you were in a car accident." Kazuya continued. "If a dangerous situation were to occur, you might be in trouble."

I nodded mutely, my attention instead on Lin. He matched my gaze openly, and did not bother to hide the murderous look in his eyes.

"…At least take Takigawa-san with you." He finally spoke up, not averting his eyes from me. Kazuya sighed. "Fine. Mai-kun, go with Matsuzaki-san and Hara-san."

Mai nodded. "Do we have any blue prints?"

Kazuya simply handed the sheets over. "Be careful. We don't know how the spirits will react to our presence, despite what you believe, Hara-san. Always be on your guard, just in case."

After the others had left to do their separate tasks, I was left alone with Lin. He was sitting at a plastic, cheap table that the builders apparently used. It looked like it would snap if we put too much weight on it. As he typed away at the computers he frequently used, I tried to ignore the awkward silence that hung in the air. Lin was furious with me; I could tell, despite his lack of emotions. But I had more important things on my mind – watching the camera screens intently, I observed every movement in every single room, hallway and corner. Was that woman going to appear again? On the screens, I could see Mai, Masako and Ayako walking around the house, as Mai checked the temperatures of each room. Outside, by the road, Takigawa and Kazuya talked to a group of what I assumed to be the builders. But there was no sign of the woman. In fact, no other spirits appeared. From time to time, I checked the monitors. Nothing was out of the ordinary.

Eventually, Mai, Masako and Ayako came back, carrying notes from their temperature check.

"Well?" I was already speaking when they had only just entered the room. I needed anything to break the silence that hovered between me and Lin.

"The rooms were between 0°c, and -4°c." Mai checked her notes.

"Did you see anything?" I was desperate to know if anything – anyone – had been spotted.

"Um, no…" Mai looked to Masako. "You didn't sense anything, right, Masako-kun?"

Masako shook her head. "Nothing. They are not very active right now." Disappointment welled up in me. So the woman had definitely not appeared again.

Mai tugged at my sleeve. "How did it go?" She whispered to me.

"Hm?"

"Being alone with Lin-kun. He's not very talkative, is he?"

I forced a weak smile. "Not really."

Mai grinned. "Don't worry, it's nothing personal." Maybe this was the case usually, but I knew that Lin was actually angry with me this time. He definitely wanted to be keeping an eye on Kazuya, not on me, and even though Kazuya was just outside, with Takigawa, I think Lin was anxious. But he didn't show as much. Even now, he was still typing away at his computer, and had not even looked up when Mai and the others entered the room.

"Hey, what'd you find?" Takigawa entered the room, following behind Kazuya. At his appearance, Lin immediately looked up.

"Nothing much. What about you?" Mai scampered up to Kazuya, and waited in anticipation for the news.

"Well, they heard the whispering, that's one thing. The scratching noises too. But it wasn't just the woman that they saw."

Ayako frowned. "So, they saw more than one person?"

Takigawa scratched his head, and looked down at his notes. "Yeah. The brown haired woman was seen, as well as several other people. Age varied, and race too. There were a few Japanese, but mainly foreigners. Usually, the person would appear either just before the whispering, or just after. The strange thing is, they all wore the same clothing."

The same clothing? "So, the hospital clothes?" I asked.

Takigawa nodded, leafing through his notes. He passed a wad of them to Kazuya. We gathered around to see them. Each one showed a printed out picture.

"These were photos that the builders took using their phones." Kazuya explained briefly, holding up one of the sheets. The quality was glossed and blurry, but I could make out a faint image of someone standing outside the building. A middle-aged man, perhaps Asian, was staring straight into the camera. Like Takigawa had said, he was wearing the blue hospital outfit. The next photo showed another woman, with much darker skin, in the field behind the house. Again, there was the hospital outfit.

"Maybe this used to be a hospital, or a doctor's clinic or something?" Mai suggested, looking to Kazuya to see if her thesis was of credibility.

"Perhaps. I'll check into the background of this area." Kazuya walked swiftly over to the computer. Mai grinned in satisfaction when her theory was not disregarded.

"Was there anything else?" Ayako peered at the screens. "Any other phenomena?"

"That was about it." Takigawa joined her at the mass of screens. "Nothing else."

Ayako looked thoughtful. "I wonder what kind of spirit we're dealing with here."

Takigawa grinned. "Let me guess, an earth spirit?"

For his snide remark, he was hit across the head. I edged away a bit from what I assumed was going to be one of their fights.

"Hey, John-kun, you ok?" Mai suddenly looked concerned.

"Um, yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" I was puzzled as to her unease.

"You just looked really pale then."

"Oh…well, I feel ok. It's probably nothing. I wouldn't worry about it."

With no warning, Masako suddenly gasped. Her eyes were round and wide.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Takigawa and Ayako stopped fighting, and looked over to her.

"The spirits…" Her voice quivered. "I can feel their emotions…it's overwhelming…" She began to shake, and Takigawa hurried forwards to support her.

"What do you mean?" Kazuya, although his face was apathetic, could not hide the hint of alarm in his voice.

"They…they are very…angry and upset and…there's so many of them…" Masako gripped tightly to Takigawa.

As if to her words, the room suddenly became cold. I looked over to the thermography camera. The temperature was dropping rapidly. My breath was even coming out in faint wisps of condensation. The chill wormed its way past my clothes and skin, seeming to reach the marrow of my bones.

"I thought you said the spirits wouldn't act until night time!" Ayako shivered. But Kazuya held up his hand for silence.

"Listen."

And then I heard it – the whispering. It started quietly, barely an utter. But it began to get louder and louder. Soon, it was deafening.

"Naru!" Mai looked to Kazuya, panicked. "What do we do?!"

Kazuya said nothing. And then the scratching noises began. Long and drawn out, it was as if they were inside the walls. The sound of finger nails against wood made me shiver. I looked to the screens. They were still working, although they flickered back and forth between image and darkness. I strained my eyes, trying to make out if any of the spirits had appeared. With the flashing screens, it was not easy. But at last, I saw him.

Someone was standing outside the door. A man. He simply stood, watching through the open door way. Frantically, I turned to the door way, where the door was wide open. I could see no one. Yet when I looked to the screens, he was there.

"John-kun, what is it?" I heard Takigawa asking me. I did not answer, though. I just continued to stare at the screens.

The man was not wearing the blue hospital clothes, unlike all the other sightings. He was wearing a white lab coat. But what really struck me was how familiar he looked. Something about his face…I knew him. I was sure.

The man unexpectedly looked directly at the camera. He raised his hand and waved. His lips moved, but I could not hear what he said.

"Nau maku san manda bazaura dankan!" At Takigawa's mantra, the whispering ceased. The scratching stopped. And the temperature began to lift.

"So, the spirits decided to strike early…?" Kazuya ran through the camera recording at the time of the haunting. Masako was sitting at the table with Ayako, regaining her shaken nerves from the experience. Mai was making them tea. As for Takigawa, Lin and me, we watched over Kazuya's shoulder and observed the recordings with him.

"It's not that. They were suddenly…disturbed." Masako struggled to explain. "I think something that we may have done either angered or upset them."

"Interesting…" Kazuya's eyes darted back and forth between the screens. "But I can't see anything."

"What do you mean?" Ayako asked from over at the table.

"I mean that, no one appeared. I expected someone might come. According to the builders, whenever the whispering and scratching started, they saw someone swiftly after or had seen someone before. And this was also the case with those teenagers. But I can't see anyone."

"Are you sure?" Kazuya turned to me as I spoke, a slight frown on his face.

"Yes. I'm sure. Why, did you see someone?" The three of them stared at me. At the table, Mai, Ayako and Masako halted their conversation.

"…A man. He…I'm sure I saw a man."

"When?" Kazuya immediately turned back to the recordings.

"Just before Takigawa said his mantra."

Kazuya rewound the recording back to then. And there he was: the man, looking straight at the camera.

"There he is." I pointed at the screen. Kazuya paused the screen, freezing the frame so that the recording rested on a frame in which the man was staring at us, through the lens of the camera. The more I looked at his face, the more I felt that I had seen him somewhere before.

"Where?" Kazuya strained his eyes at the screen.

"Right there." I pointed again.

After a moment of careful observation, Kazuya just shook his head.

"I can't see anyone." He told me.

"What? But…" I stared at the screen again. I could still see him, clear as day.

"Yeah, I can't see him either…" Takigawa agreed, shrugging.

"But he's there…he's right there…" I looked to Lin, hoping that at least he could see the man. Like Kazuya, he shook his head.

Why couldn't they see him?


	7. Chapter 7: Hidden

**(A/N): Hey, sorry about the delay. Here is chapter 7. I'm afraid that this school term is still going to be chaotic, and I won't even be able to write during the half term, so the next up-date might take a while again. I apologise for this. Meanwhile, I hope that you enjoy the chapter, and that you leave a review too! ;)**

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"Maybe it was just a shadow?"

"Yeah, or a trick of the light?"

No one was able to see the man. Mai, Ayako and Masako all checked he screens, but agreed that there was nothing unusual. Now, everyone was suggesting explanations as to why this was the case, and all of them included me being mistaken. Hearing as they listed excuse after excuse as to why I was wrong, it felt…frustrating. I tried to hide my own exasperation. Why would no one believe me? Well, I guess, if they couldn't see the man on the screens…

Even so. This was a ghost hunting organisation. We had a spirit medium in our ranks, an omnioji, a miko with the power to communicate with trees, an exorcist and a girl with even higher spiritual and PK powers than most of us put together. Yet, somehow, they weren't willing to accept the suggestion that there was a man on those screens, a ghost, and for some inexplicable reason, only I could see him.

As the others poured over the footage again, double checking the monitors also, Takigawa pulled me gently to the side. Looking at me in concern, he asked, "Do you think…your amnesia has anything to do with the man you saw?"

"Hm?" I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, maybe you're beginning to remember things, and what with the footage flashing on and off, and all the chaos…maybe you remembered something, and that's what you saw. Someone from last month." His theory had credit – the man was so familiar, yet I couldn't quite remember where I had seen him. My memories of him struggled to surface from the thick blanket of amnesia. But he had not been a snippet of memory, I was sure. The man had been so clear, more focused than the background he was standing by. His attire, the doctor's coat, was not something you could mistake for a shadow. Not the piercing, grey irises that gazed into the camera. Not his movements when he began to speak, when he waved to me. No, he was real. He was not just a distorted shadow, or a vague memory.

However, all I could do was nod, and mutter an agreement under my breath, leaving Takigawa satisfied. Eventually, the others decided, without much being said on my behalf, that the man on the screens had simply been a strange snatch of light and shadow that had confused me as the footage had switched from black to picture, while Takigawa remained silent with his own theory, refusing to break his vow of secrecy about my amnesia. In the end, I did not tell the others about the woman I saw, either. The chance of them believing me was slim, since they were already doubtful about the man I saw, to say the least. With that, the matter was apparently solved, and everyone continued with their jobs – monitoring the cameras, checking temperatures, searching for spirits. Ayako and Takigawa began exorcisms. Nothing happened, no more spirits appeared. Neither the woman from outside or the familiar man emerged on the camera footage, and the day came to an end without any disturbances. However, Kazuya seemed uneasy about anyone staying overnight in the old house, and instead decided that everyone should either go home, if it wasn't too far away, or rent a room in a hotel.

It was late, and the sun was already retreating, draining colour from the landscape and leaving behind a barren of darker, duller hues. The city, though, was still flashing with neon lights and tall buildings that emitted a haze of light pollution, eating away at the night sky. Most of the others had opted to find a hotel, and after a moment of hesitation, I agreed. Even though my apartment was only an hour away by train, and the journeys there carried on through the entire night, I felt too uneasy about returning for the time being. After what I had heard from Abe-san, it seemed that my 'colleague' knew where I lived. And he was looking for me, the fact had only been cemented by the woman who had appeared at the house. It was probably only a matter of time before he found me.

We found a hotel; a cheap, local residence that consisted mainly of tourists. I booked a room for myself, after we decided to take individual rooms, and headed quickly to it, after a hasty 'goodnight' to the others. As soon as I got in, heard the reassuring click of the door's lock, I scrambled for my mobile and dialled Sinead's number. Hearing the tone ring, I begged silently for someone to pick up. Each time I had tried to ring her after being released from hospital, she hadn't answered. And as the call was directed to an answering machine, it seemed that this time would not be any different.

Sighing in sheer exhaustion, I decided now would be a good time to start making notes on what I had seen so far, especially what the others had not. First, there was that woman, similar in description to what the teenager, Yumi, had mentioned. Japanese, early 20s, brown haired, brown eyes, wearing blue hospital clothes. Like a patient. She had not appeared for long, barely half a minute. She did stay long enough to warn me of someone, urging me to try and regain my memories. Although I did not recognise her, she seemed to know me, and my situation. Who exactly she was warning me of, it wasn't too clear, but I was almost certain it was the 'colleague', or at least related to the enigmatic person.

Then there was the man. Mid-twenties, I'd say. Foreign, though where exactly from, it was too hard to say. Black haired, clean shaven. Grey eyes. But they were not vacant, like the woman. He looked…happy? And yet distressed? It was hard to tell with the poor quality of the footage. He wore a white, somewhat dirty, doctor's lab coat. And he tried to speak to me, he even waved at me. Again, he did not remain on the screens for very long, perhaps because of Takigawa's mantra.

A thought struck me. Would these people, spirits even, know about what happened last month? The woman was certainly aware of the fact I had amnesia, so maybe she knew more. If I could see them again, and ask what they knew…then maybe I could sort out all these problems. Discover the identity of the 'colleague'. Find out who had left the mark around my neck.

That night, I did not sleep in the bed, and sleep was not prepared to visit me willingly. Instead, I remained hidden from the door way by the window of the hotel room, peering through gaps in the blind. It was a low window, low enough for me to sit on the floor with my knees withdrawn tightly to my chest and gaze down at the streets below the hotel. Strangely, huddled in the corner, I felt safer than I would be in the bed. In fact, the furthest away from the door I was, the better, my subconscious seemed to be telling me. After many hours of attentive watching as late night walkers ambled past the hotel, fatigue finally enveloped me into a restless sleep.

Morning arrived, and I reached the old house early, weary and tired. The air was cold and sharp, biting at my skin, and it was only begrudgingly that I made my way to the house. Inside, as I walked through the hallway, I could hear the voices of Mai and Kazuya bickering clearly.

"…just because you're smart and stuff, you don't have to be such a jerk all the time!"

"At least I am smart, unlike some other employees in this room I could mention."

I stopped outside the room. Going inside didn't seem like the best of options right now.

"Ugh, you're such a…cold hearted narcissist!"

"You say that a lot. It seems you're running out of insults to give me."

With that, Mai stormed out of the room, into the hallway. When she saw me, I raised my hand slightly and muttered nervously, "Good morning."

Mai's sudden outrage at Kazuya briefly came to a halt. "Oh, good morning, John-kun. You're here early."

"Yeah…I just thought I should come and help." Really, I just wanted to give the place a search for the man and woman from yesterday, before everyone else arrived.

"Oh, well, would it be ok if you helped me gather all the old tapes from the cameras?" Like me, it seemed that Mai was cold; she had a thick jacket on, and was shivering slightly from the unusual April weather.

"Sure, where should we start?"

"Um…I think the bedroom on the west side first…"

While we collected the old tapes, I kept a careful eye out for the man and woman, or any other spirits that might have appeared. None had though. After we were finished, we headed back to base, where Lin and Kazuya were sifting through the last remains of the night's footage.

"…Well?" Mai looked expectantly at Kazuya, her previous annoyance apparently having disintegrated.

"Nothing." The word was blunt and disappointing. The spirits had not returned.

"Oh…Do you think they will come back?" Mai asked him.

"Maybe." Kazuya seemed uncertain. "Have you taken any temperatures?"

"Eh." Mai bit her lip guiltily. "Umm…no. I forgot."

Kazuya sighed impatiently, and grabbed a clip board from the nearby table. "Even now, you still can't do things right?"

This ignited Mai's anger once more. "Well, excuse me, but I have a lot of other things to be thinking of, you know! I've got a lot of school work to do –"

"Let's just get the temperatures." Kazuya interrupted her irritably, and began to leave the room. "Brown-san, stay here with Lin." He called over his shoulder.

"Hey, I wasn't finished!" Mai hurried after him, shouting as she did. Lin, typing at a computer again, did not look up.

It was merely ten minutes before I saw her again. Watching the screens intently, just like yesterday, I scanned every single detail thoroughly, noting every single movement. And, finally, my efforts bore fruit. There she was, the woman from yesterday, standing outside the house once more. Immediately, I headed towards the door, calling quickly to Lin, "I'm just going to go and get some fresh air." Lin did not even make a noise.

As fast as I could, I hurried to the back yard, where she had been standing, praying that she had not disappeared. Bursting into the fresh air, my eyes were at once drawn to the figure standing at the back of the field. Yes. There she was. She hadn't disappeared yet.

It was definitely the same woman as yesterday. From here, I could still see her bright blue clothes. A camera had been set up, facing the house, so I walked carefully around it. The last thing I wanted was someone asking why I had suddenly bolted out of the house. The 'fresh air' excuse was pathetic, although Lin didn't really seem to care, and if they weren't able to see the woman…well, I would look a bit strange talking to thin air.

At last, I reached the woman. Her appearance was human, although the edges of her figure seemed to flicker between solidity and translucency. Her skin was unnaturally pale, like that of a corpse. As I progressed towards her, she simply stared at me unblinkingly. And when I reached her, she said nothing for a long while, just looking me up and down, the only noise being my heart thudding in my chest.

Finally, she spoke. "At first, I wasn't sure. But it is you."

"…Who are you?"

The woman played with her matted hair. "We've never actually met before, so I wasn't certain. But you looked just like Oji-chan described."

"Who are you?" I repeated the question, somewhat more forcefully, despite the shaking in my voice.

"I'm Sayomi." She did not give her last name. "And you are Father Brown."

"How do you know me?"

"Oji-chan told me. Like I said." She broke eye contact with me, and glanced over at the camera.

"They can't see me." I assumed she was referring to the rest of SPR. "Only you can."

"Why?"

She shrugged. "That's just the way things are. I don't know why. Only some people can see me."

Swallowing, I quickly glanced to the house, seeing if anyone had come out. No one had.

"How do you know I have amnesia?" When I turned back, I was almost afraid she would disappear again, but this time she did not.

"I heard you. Talking to the other man." She must have meant Takigawa.

Now for the important question. "Do you…know what happened? Last month? What I can't remember?"

She shook her head.

"No. I do not. I'm sorry."

Disappointment engulfed me. "You…don't?"

Again, she shook her head.

"But…you warned me. About a man. You said he was coming to find me."

"I know that much. He's very angry with you, for some reason. He comes here sometimes, and he mentioned you once."

"He's…angry with me?" Dread was beginning to rise up inside me.

"Yes. I overheard him."

"Do you mean…when you were alive?"

"No. After I…" She did not finish. So Saymoi, at least, knew she was dead.

"Who is he? Why is he angry with me?"

"You got away. You're evidence. He doesn't like evidence. He tried to hide it, like the rest of us."

Evidence? Hiding?..._Like the rest of us_?

"Sayomi…why are you here? Why are you dead?"

Suddenly, the emptiness in her eyes evaporated. She looked afraid, terrified. Just like me.

"…I….I knew things…that I shouldn't…" Her words were quivering and hesitant.

"What things?"

Sayomi closed her eyes. "No…I have to go…I have to go now…"

"Wait a minute, Sayomi-san." No, she couldn't go yet. There were still so many questions.

"Who are you talking to?"

I spun around. Takigawa was standing behind me, frowning in bemusement.

"I, um…" Damn it. This was bad. He couldn't see Sayomi. Glancing behind me, I realised he was not the only one.

Sayomi had vanished, once again.


	8. Chapter 8: Mattaku

**(A/N): Hey there, here's the next chapter. Sorry it took so long to upload, but I've been on a school trip for the past week. I can't believe I'm on chapter 8...it won't be too long until I reach chapter 10! Anyway, here you are - I hope you enjoy it, and I hope you review too :)**

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Throughout the entire rest of the day, Takigawa kept a watchful eye on me. In the end, I just told him I was talking to myself, speaking my thoughts out loud. Of course, he did not believe me, I could tell from the way he raised his eyebrow and pursed his lips slightly, but I think he was just humouring me for the time being. I tried to avoid him as much as possible after that, although it was difficult to do, since he was determined to follow me around. The others did not notice the awkward tension between us, or the silent questions Takigawa was sending me through his gaze every time I glanced at him. Right now, Ayako was considering whether or not to do an exorcism, Masako had already set out to search for ghosts, Mai was resting her eyes after what must have been a bad night's sleep and Kazuya was going over plans and building construction details again.

"I'm not sure if there's much point…" Ayako rested her finger against her cheek. "There aren't any trees around here, so I wouldn't be able to get rid of them for certain..."

"…Huh…? I saw trees…" Mai muttered indistinctly, her eyes still shut.

"Not any live trees. The ones around here are all dead." Ayako corrected her. "What's the matter with you? Bad sleep?"

Mai mumbled something indistinguishable.

Ayako sighed impatiently. "Speak up."

"I said, I had a weird dream."

At once, we all turned our attention to her.

"One of 'those' dreams?" Takigawa sounded slightly concerned. He often did, after the dream Mai had experienced in that mansion a while ago, a dream of being murdered.

Mai nodded. "It wasn't bad. Just…strange."

"What happened?"

"Well…There was this old man, and he was driving in his car…I didn't recognise him…He was going pretty fast…" Mai recollected the events of her dream. "And…well, I think he was trying to slow down, but…he couldn't. And I think he crashed."

Ayako frowned. "A car-crash? Do you think it has something to do with this case?"

Mai shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe. I don't see much relevance, but who knows."

At that moment, Masako returned from her search for any spirits.

"Well?" Mai looked at her expectantly, perhaps wondering if the strange man from her dream had appeared, if he was of any relevance to the case.

However, Masako shook her head. "They are here. But they are inactive again."

"Oh..." Mai's face fell slightly. "You didn't…see an old man anywhere?"

Frowning, Masako shook her head again. "No."

Kazuya had stopped his research. "Have you managed to see any spirits? In their human appearance?"

"No, I have not. They are suddenly very reluctant to show themselves."

Kazuya furrowed his brow. "That's strange…at first, they're completely inactive, unwilling to show themselves…but suddenly they start scratching the walls and making noises. Why? What changes their temperament so quickly?"

"Well, didn't you say we upset them somehow, Masako-kun?" Ayako recalled.

"Yes…but I don't know what it was." Masako admitted.

From what Sayomi had told me, she didn't seem to know why the others couldn't see her, but she hadn't told me why exactly the spirits would suddenly start whispering or scratching at the walls. And what confused me is that the rest of SPR could see the spirits in human form from the photographs that the builders took, but were unable to see the man on the screen. I could still not think of a single reason why this would be. But what reason could there be? And what had we done to upset them? What had we been doing right before the noises started? Well, not much, to be honest. I had been talking to Mai, and Takigawa and Kazuya had just finished talking to the builders. Was that something to do with it? Actually, now that I thought about it…

"Shibuya-san, so far we've talked to the teenagers, and you talked to those builders. What about the hikers? You said there were some other people who experienced the whispering, right?"

Kazuya nodded. "Yes, I did. It was a couple who had been hiking and stumbled across the house. In fact, I managed to come into contact with them, and they said that they would be happy to answer our questions whenever was convenient. Now would be a good time. They live perhaps half an hour from here. Lin, drive over there. Take Father Brown with you."

"No, it's ok. I'll take him." Takigawa suddenly spoke up. I turned to him, surprised.

"Huh?"

"It's ok. I'll take you." He said, almost forcefully.

Kazuya eyed him suspiciously for a moment, but eventually said, "Ok. Takigawa-san and Father Brown, you go." He passed Takigawa a piece of paper. "The directions are written on here."

The streets blurred past in the window as we sped along the road, a mess of undistinguishable features. The piece of paper, with neatly written directions inked on, was clutched in my good hand. Takigawa did not say much; he just kept his focus entirely on the road. The only words between us were when he asked me to read out the directions. Finally, he pulled the car into the drive of a small, detached house. From the car, I could see an uneven lawn, peppered with dandelions. The car ground to a halt on the gravel underneath, spitting out the last of exhaust fumes. However, Takigawa did not get out of the car. Instead, he turned to me.

"You…you saw a spirit, didn't you?" His tone was not sceptical, but very hushed.

I said nothing. My silence seemed to answer his question.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" He asked me, wearily.

"No one would believe me. No one believed me about the man on the screens." I might as well tell him now.

"So…you're certain you saw this man on the footage?"

"Yes. It wasn't just a shadow or a memory. I saw him." I emphasised the last three words. "So clearly. I know I saw him. I don't know why you or the others couldn't."

Takigawa considered it. "…Ok." He spoke up at last. "I'll believe you."

"Really?" I couldn't help my face lighting up.

"Yeah." He smiled weakly. "I can't rule out your opinion just because I didn't see it. I can't make judgements like that." He sounded sad, so I frowned slightly in puzzlement.

"What do you mean?"

"Never mind." He opened the car door. "Let's go talk to these people."

Stepping out of the car, and awkwardly closing it behind me, I walked to the front door of the house with Takigawa. The tension between us seemed to have lifted, and I was glad for it. Standing at the door, he reached out for a door bell, and pressed it down. Soon, the door opened.

"Hello, can I help you?" A confused young woman, her hair tied back in a ponytail, looked between the two of us.

"We're with Shibuya Psychic Research, you were contacted by our manager." Takigawa told her.

"Oh, I see. Do you want to ask some questions or something?"

"Yeah, just about what you saw."

"Ok, I'll just go get – hey, wait a minute…" She stared at me. "It's you!"

Startled, I glanced at Takigawa, who threw me a puzzled look.

"I-I'm sorry, do I know you?" I asked nervously.

"Oh, you probably won't remember. You were unconscious. My boyfriend and I, we found you. In the river."

Inside the house, Takigawa and I waited in the living room for the woman and her boyfriend. She had introduced herself as Rin Ikeda, and had hurried to go find her boyfriend. The room was neat, though slightly dishevelled and littered with various outside equipment that was tucked away in a corner, or strewn on the floor here and there.

"They found you in the river?" Takigawa whispered to me. We were sitting on one of two battered sofas.

"Yeah…I don't remember it, though. I was unconscious."

"Why were you in a river?"

Because I jumped in, for reasons I did not know myself. I didn't say as much, though.

Before I could say anything, the woman, Rin, and a man entered the room. He was tall and lanky, casually dressed in paint stained clothes.

"This is my boyfriend, Hayate. Hayate, this is Takigawa-san and Brown-san from Shibuya Psychic Research. They want to ask questions about that house we saw."

Hayate sat down on the sofa opposite me, staring at my broken arm.

"Well, I'm glad you seem to be recovering." He remarked. "You looked a lot worse for wear when we saw you."

I shifted uncomfortably. "Yes…thank you. For finding me."

The man smiled. "There's no need to thank me. Now, you wanted to know about what we saw?"

"Yes." Takigawa held a note pad and a pen in his hands. "Why exactly were you near the house?"

"Well, we had just been hiking in the nearby area, and we decided to cut through a forest near the house. When we came out of it, we ended up in that field around the back of the building. We were simply walking around it, back to the main road, and we saw someone standing at the door step."

"What did they look like?"

"It was a man, I'm not sure of the age. Um, let's see…he was black, and…of average height, I guess. But he was very beaten up, and bloodied. So we went over to him, to see if he was ok. Then he went back into the house."

"What did you do then?"

"We followed him inside. But, it was like he just…vanished. We couldn't see him anywhere. Then someone began whispering."

"Whispering?"

"Yes." Rin sat down next to Hayate. "It started off quietly. But it got louder and louder. It sounded as if there were several people there."

We had heard this before. "What could you tell us about the whispering? Could you understand what was being said?"

"Umm…" Hayate raised his eyes to the ceiling, recollecting what happened. "Well, there were quite a few different languages, so it was hard to tell…They kept on saying a name, I think…No, not even a name. Just the word…Mattaku."

"Mattaku?" Takigawa frowned. "Did they say anything else?"

"Umm…no really. I'm sorry, most of it was in a different language. There was definitely English…German too…Russian as well, maybe…? I'm not sure…"

"So, you didn't see the man again?"

"No." Rin shook her head.

"When exactly was this?"

Hayate looked at me. "Around 7pm. It was March 22nd. A week before we found you."

Immediately, Takigawa put down the note pad and turned his attention back to Hayate.

"Do you think the hauntings you experienced and…finding my colleague…have any connection? The way you just phrased it…makes it sound like you have suspicions." The suggestion was unexpected.

"I don't know. Maybe. It just seems very…coincidental for two such unusual things to happen so close to each other. And when you think about what you told us, too...Surely it can't be a coincidence…"

I froze. "What?"

"Don't you remember? You woke up very briefly, and you talked to us. Didn't the police and the doctors tell you?"

I shook my head. The police hadn't even visited me.

"What exactly happened?" Takigawa intervened.

Hayate sighed. "Well…after what we saw in that house, we alerted the police about the bloodied man. They didn't really say much, just that they'd search for anyone missing in the surrounding area who matched the description. So, that was that, really. The incident spooked us a bit, so we decided to go on a small camping trip, away from Tokyo, in a rural area. We camped not too far away from the river. Anyway, Rin and I were just walking along side it, looking at the scenery, when we found you. You were washed up on the bank, caught up in a bush."

"How did you see me?"

"Well, the blood in the river was a giveaway. And there wasn't much vegetation, so it wasn't tricky spotting you."

"Then what happened?"

"We pulled you out. And to be honest, I didn't think you were even alive. You were beaten and bruised all over your arms, one looked broken, and your head was bleeding badly. And you were very pale, white as a ghost. We checked to see if you were breathing, and you weren't. So I tried CPR, and soon you were up and coughing."

"And then, did I say anything?" I couldn't remember any of the events. Did I say anything about why I was in that burning building?

"Yeah. You mentioned the name again, Mattaku. You spoke in English a lot, so it was hard to understand. All I could pick up was that name. But you were only half-awake, really, so you kept on drifting in and out of consciousness. When the ambulance arrived, you began saying Mattaku again and again. You were still saying it when they lifted you onto a stretcher, and when you were in the ambulance, too. Eventually, you passed out again, and I didn't see you after that."

Takigawa and I shared a glance of shock. "I…really said that?"

Rin nodded. "We don't know who this Mattaku is, or what it is even…but both you and the whispers from the house said the same thing."

"Did you tell the police about this information?" Takigawa asked solemnly.

"Yes, we did. They didn't look too sure about the house incident, but they took what you said into account. I thought they would have told you." Hayate looked surprised.

"That's what you'd think…" Takigawa agreed. I was just as puzzled. Doctor Nakumura had not said anything about this. Why hadn't he told me?

Suddenly, a thought sprung to mind. "Um, by chance, do you remember what I was wearing? When you found me in the river?"

"I'm not too sure…some kind of blue uniform."

My heart sped up. "What about the man you saw? What was he wearing?"

"Oh, I think he was wearing some kind of lab coat. It was hard to tell, it was so covered in dirt."

My mind reeled. A blue uniform, just like the Sayomi. And a lab coat, just like the man on the screens. What did it mean? And what on earth – or who on earth – was 'Mattaku'?

"Thank you for your time." Takigawa was saying. His words sounded very muffled.

"Oh, it was nothing. If you remember anything else you wanted to ask, just call us." I think Rin was talking, but I wasn't really paying attention. Everything was suddenly so…hushed, and the air felt heavy, like I was underwater. Takigawa stood up, so I followed him out of the room.

Outside, the fresh air hit me refreshingly, but it was not enough to shake me from this strange state. By the car, Takigawa turned to me, a confused and shocked look on his face, presumably from the conversation inside. When he looked at me, though, his expression became worried.

"John-kun, are you ok? You look pretty pale. D'you want to sit down?"

I could barely mutter a word before everything started spinning.

_Water. It's heaving from my lungs. With each wretch, sickening and laborious, thick liquid pours from my mouth. Every movement I make hurts. It hurts a lot. My head, my chest, it hurts a lot. I want it to stop. My arm is shooting hot, aching pain. I want it all to stop. _

_Someone turns me around roughly. I don't like it. It makes my head whirl. I feel like I might throw up. Blood is tinging at my mouth. The taste is vile. What is happening? I don't understand where I am. _

_Someone's there. Who is it? A man. I feel scared. Who is this man? Is he going to hurt me? _

_But…no. He's talking to me, putting something around me. A coat? I don't know. He's making me lie down. Is he here to help me?_

"…_call an ambulance, you're going to be fine…"I think I can just pick up what he's saying. Yes, he's here to help me. Am I…safe now? Maybe I can trust this man._

_My hand is reaching out to him. It's shaking, I can't keep it straight. But he takes it in his own hand. His skin is so warm, it feels like it's burning against my skin._

"…_Mattaku…" The word is barely a whisper. My throat hurts so much. _

"_What?"_

"…_Mattaku…" I strain my voice louder. It sends spasms throbbing through my head. _

"_Mattaku?" The man is confused, he keeps looking around to someone. A woman. She is on the phone. She is talking to someone. She sounds scared._

"_Mattaku…it's important. You have…to understand." No Japanese is coming out, just English. _

_But the man isn't listening. Why won't he listen? I try to call out for him, but my vision is going. Black is overwhelming me. The pain is so bad. No, he has to listen…_

"_Mattaku…" I force away the blackness. "Don't forget…Mattaku…"_

_He is saying something,and I can't understand it. So I just repeat myself._

"_Mattaku. Don't let me…forget."_

_A white van has arrived. Sirens are screaming, and piercing through my skull. I want it to stop, stop, stop. People are coming, people are surrounding me. Everything is tinged red and blue. An…ambulance? They're lifting me onto a stretcher._

"_Don't let me forget…Mattaku…don't let me forget…" No one's listening. The man is still with me, he's coming into the ambulance with me. Everything is a lot darker inside._

"_Mattaku…" I stare at him desperately. Please, please understand. "Don't let me forget about Mattaku."_

_Someone is forcing something across my mouth, pushing air into it. No. No one is listening. I'll forget, I'll forget all about it. No._

_But everything is going dark again. And this time, I can't stop it._

"…_Don't let me forget about Mattaku…"_


	9. Chapter 9: Night

**(A/N): To make up for not posting in a while, here's another chapter. I wrote a beautiful time line for you to help put in perspective the order of events (you'll see later). Enjoy, and if you are reading this, please leave a review. They make me very happy :)**

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When I woke up, I found myself lying on the back seats of the car. The doors were shut, and I could hear the faint hum of traffic. The car was moving, I think. Groaning, I slowly pushed myself onto my elbows. My head was pounding, but I brushed aside the feelings of nausea. I must have blacked out…and then…I must have remembered something. It was a flashback, I think…My amnesia was beginning to fade, it had to be. A feeling of both relief and dread filled up inside me, and I wasn't sure which feeling to side with. Takigawa was sitting in the front seat, and at my awakening, he turned around to face me.

"Hey. You ok?" His tone was concerned.

"…Yeah…" I sat up right. "Sorry. I had a dizzy spell, I guess…"

"You better be, you scared the crap out of me!" Takigawa said jokingly. "You haven't been out for long, just a few minutes. I almost decided to go and fetch someone, but…" He frowned. "…Well, you started speaking."

"I started speaking?"

"About Mattaku."

I sighed. What was Mattaku? It was clearly important. I had been obsessed with it, obsessed with not forgetting it.

"I, um…I remembered something."

At once, Takigawa was alert. "What? Did you remember what this Mattaku thing is all about?"

I shook my head regretfully. "No. But I remembered being at the river. When I was found. And I…Mattaku was very important to me. I was desperate not to forget it, I kept on mentioning it to people."

Takigawa frowned thoughtfully. "So…the hauntings, they might have something to do with your amnesia? And why you were found in a river?"

"Maybe…" I realised I still had not fully explained the situation to Takigawa, about the colleague who was trying to find me, or the burning building and the man with a gun. I should really tell him, maybe he could help me. Yet I remained silent as we sped on, my mind refusing to create the words. Was it fear? Fear of damaging our friendship, or fear of getting him too mixed up in this forsaken situation?

Soon, we arrived back at the house. However, as Takigawa parked around the back, I the field, I notice that everyone was moving more equipment. Had some of the cameras got damaged?

"Hey, what's going on?" Takigawa called to Kazuya, stepping out of the car. I quickly slipped out as well.

"We're leaving." The words were blunt.

"What? Why?" Takigawa looked from Kazuya to me, just as confused as I was. Carrying some cables and a camera, Mai struggled to the van. She looked furious.

"We don't know. The manager just called off our investigation really suddenly." Her voice was clearly being restrained from shouting. "But we're not finished! The spirits here need our help, something is clearly wrong!"

"Apparently, someone else has bought the house now, so we're not needed." Ayako, although she still sounded angry, was a lot calmer than Mai.

"I still don't see why we can't carry on investigating." Mai's voice had a dangerous hint, as she glared at Kazuya.

"Whoever was bought the house doesn't want us to investigate. It's as simple as that." Kazuya was not fazed by her irritation.

This wasn't right, we couldn't leave now. What about Sayomi? What about the man on the screens? The spirits calling for help? We couldn't just abandon them, not when they were trapped and unable to move on.

Yet, in the end, all we could do was pack up the last of the equipment and leave. Kazuya and Lin left in one of the vans without so much as a second look back.

"I can't believe this, what happened to his pride?" Mai sounded slightly surprised as well as angry.

"I don't know. But there's nothing we can do." Takigawa patted her on the head. She sighed in frustration, but nodded.

"Even so, it feels wrong to be leaving." Masako was staring at the old building. "There are so many spirits here."

"I know. What I'm interested about is how this run down place got sold." Ayako squinted at the poorly repaired frame work. "If you have the money to buy a house, you might as well buy a nice one that's not filled with spirits."

"It is strange…" Ayako's remark echoed in my head. She was right – why would someone buy a house like this? Unless…

"_He doesn't like evidence. He tries to hide it, like the rest of us."_

…Someone didn't want this case being solved?

In no time at all, I found myself facing my more mundane job – working at Shibuya hospital. It was a tough job, but the pay was good, enough to support myself easily. As the only male nurse in the hospital, and a foreigner too, sometimes it could be demanding. The remarks I sometimes got from the other doctors were hard to ignore, but I had some good friends there, too. Luckily, my sling had been removed, so it was easier to work now. Since I was a priest, sometimes I was asked by patients to perform sacraments of the ill, or to offer support. These patients were usually suffering from terminal diseases, so it could be very emotionally demanding, too.

However, there was something…different about the hospital on my first few days back. Something was wrong. I felt so nervous all the time, and the sterilised smell was almost unbearable. Each day was a slow torture, and each day I found myself trying to leave as quickly as I could. The problem was, by the time my shift was finished, it was dark outside. The streets were completely concealed in shadows, with only some meagre light from street lamps to help show the way.

On several occasions, some of the other nurses picked up on my nervous state.

"What's wrong, John-kun?" Amaya was a young, ferocious nurse who always jumped to my aid if the other doctors ever gave me problems. And after a confrontation with her, they rarely bothered me again.

"Hm?" I was searching through hospital records diligently, looking at Doctor Nakumura's appointments and shifts, trying to find when I could see him and ask him about Mattaku. So far, I had come up with nothing – he was not working any shifts right now, and all his appointments had been either postponed or transferred to a different worker.

"Is your arm still hurting?" Whenever there was a problem, everyone came to her. She was always more than happy to listen to her co-workers' dilemmas, and not afraid to sort them out either.

"No, it's fine…" Sighing, I gave up on my search for Doctor Nakumura. I would just have to keep my eye out for him, maybe tell the receptionist to alert me when he next came back on a shift.

"Actually…you wouldn't happen to know when Doctor Nakumura is coming back in?"

"Who?"

"Umm…he's the brain specialist, in his late forties with greying hair and a beard." I tried to describe him.

"Oh, Naku-san, the one who had that affair ages ago with Hachiro-kun's wife?" Leiko spoke up from behind another desk at reception. She was the eyes and ears of the hospital, and knew everything about everyone's social life.

Amaya played with her thick, black hair. "Ummm…Oh, _that_ Naku-san! He had an affair with Hachiro-kun's wife?" The memory came to her quickly.

Leiko nodded. "Mmhm. Pretty girl, works in radiology. But she's been…around the block a few times, you could say." Her voice lowered to a whisper.

"So, anyway, why did you need to find him?" Amaya asked me. "Is it about your hospitalisation?"

"Yeah, just something I wanted to ask…" I did not dwell any further on the matter. Already, I was beginning to feel worried. Why couldn't I contact him, the person who had held valuable information from me? Someone who might know more about my situation?

A quick glance outside showed the streets were already becoming dark, and my shift was finally coming to an end. The smell of sterilised floors was still enough to make my head swim, and rose a sickening feeling inside of me that I tried to shake. Nonetheless, it clung to me tighter than a noose.

Outside, the air was cool and thick with cigarette smoke that wafted around the doors from hospital workers. I hurried down the empty streets, with only a few stragglers braving the cold night air. The buses ran regularly, even through the night, and were often filled with hospital workers heading home. Only 10 minutes away from the hospital, the stop was small and secluded from the busy Tokyo offices and shops. Despite the reassuring, small distance, I could not suppress the anxiety that ate away inside me. I edged away from each stranger that I encountered, and always stayed by the street lights.

Usually, nothing happened. But tonight, something was different. Tonight, I felt more nervous than before. Each snatch of darkness seemed to move like a shadow. My neck hairs stood on end. Someone was watching me, I was sure of it. I hastened my pace. I was probably overreacting. It was just my nerves.

Walking past a pub heaving with people, all singing and waving neon glow sticks, I knew that the bus stop was surely only 5 minutes away now. I would be fine.

Once more, I entered a barren street, away from the blaring music that amplified form the pub. The darkness, only broken by a few street lights, fuelled my fear more. This was the street that I had to walk down every night, and proved to be the worst street, with just two street lamps to light the way. Hesitating, I stepped into the darkness, hurrying to the first patch of light.

Then I stopped dead in my tracks.

Someone was there. Someone was watching me. Standing by the next glimpse of light. A mere silhouette, nothing more. I could not see a face. Just a sheet of darkness.

The person rocked back and forth on the heels of their feet, and watched me.

"Wh….Who are you?" My voice was scarcely a whisper. A pathetic murmur.

The person said nothing. Silence lingered for a long moment.

I gathered my courage, and raised my voice. "Who are you?"

Then the person turned around, and disappeared into the darkness of the night.

My legs felt weak. Bile rose at my throat. Energy suddenly lost me, and I stumbled to a wall, clutching it for support. Oh God. Oh God. I felt so scared, so sick. Who was that? Who the hell was that? As terror raged through me, I shook and trembled by the wall, taking deep breaths to calm myself. It could have been anyone, anyone at all. I tried desperately to reassure myself. Maybe it was some drunkard wondering around on the street. It had to be, it had to be. I wanted it to be. Not every single person out there on the streets was an evil murderer, not everyone was the 'colleague'. I was just overreacting. Slowly, my nerves began to calm. I was just overreacting. Nothing more. People often acted very strangely towards me because of my appearance, many people had stopped and stared at me before. This time was no different. I was just overreacting.

"Are you ok there?"

I yelped and spun around, my nerves rocketing once more and my heart beat pounding again. Takigawa stood, carrying a guitar case and watching me with a curious expression. He was dressed in a long white coat with a feather necklace hanging around his neck. I remembered that he was in a band, and his rather unusual outfit made more sense to me.

"Um, yeah, I…" Swallowing, I glanced quickly back to where that person had been standing. No one was there now. Takigawa noticed the line of my brief gaze.

"What's the matter? Has someone been bothering you?" His tone was suddenly grave, and angry.

"No, no, I just…" I struggled to think of an excuse. "…No. I'm fine, really. Um, what are you doing here?"

At that moment, a pair of chattering teenage girls ambled up to Takigawa. They were both carrying glow sticks.

"Hey, Norio, you were really good up there tonight." One of them told him shyly.

"Yeah, you're such a good guitarist." The other one added.

Takigawa smiled and thanked them, and the two girls hurried off past us, giggling and squealing.

"So…you had a concert then?" My question had been answered for me.

"Yeah, in a pub just around the corner." I remembered seeing it, filled with people holding glow sticks. So Takigawa had been playing there.

"Hey, did you see any...um…you didn't notice anyone who was really…"

"Drunk?" Takigawa finished my sentence with amusement. I nodded.

"Well, it's a pub, so there probably would have been." He informed me.

"Did anyone really…stick out, though?" I asked further. He shook his head, and frowned.

"Why? Did someone harass you?"

There was no point covering it up now. "No, it's just…well, I was walking home, and…um…someone was standing just there…" I pointed towards where the person had been. "And…they just stood there and watched me for a bit. And then they walked away. It was probably just…you know…"

Takigawa nodded in understanding. "Look, I know with your amnesia and everything, you'll be really worried about what happened and you'll be freaking out a bit if people act strangely towards you. But you don't need to worry." He tried to reassure me. "You're right, it was probably some weirdo who got hammered. There are plenty of those kinds of people lingering around the streets at night. Why are you out this late anyway?"

"My shift at the hospital ends late." At this information, Takigawa sounded surprised.

"Wait, you work at a hospital? I thought you were a priest."

"I am. But I can't support myself just being a priest. I need other jobs too."

Even so, Takigawa looked troubled. "Working at a hospital is pretty stressful. You shouldn't really be doing such chaotic work when you're just out of hospital."

"It's fine…" I began, but Takigawa wasn't finished.

"And does your shift always end this late? It's dangerous for someone like you to be wandering the streets at night. I mean, I'm not saying that you're weak or anything, but foreigners like you can attract a lot of bad attention from sickos."

"My bus stop isn't far away…" It seemed all my half-hearted argument was lost on Takigawa.

"You know what? I don't want you wandering around the streets at 1am, especially when you've just gotten out of hospital. Not tonight, anyway. Stay at my place tonight, it's not too far away."

I thought to protest, but as I looked once more into the darkness, and anxiety gnawed away at me, I changed my mind.

"Um…ok. If that doesn't bother you."

Takigawa's apartment was large and spacious, but a complete mess. Music sheets and guitar cases were strewn across tables and a small, battered sofa. The carpet was dirty and dusty, with stains of mud and other spillages embedded into the material. The blue painted walls were bare, save for a single framed picture of Takigawa with another, younger girl who looked very similar to him. I could see a dining table in a kitchen with cutlery and dishes left abandoned on it. However, in one corner of the main room, the floor was spotless and a small, wooden shrine was positioned, with unlit candles that were short from constant use that had eaten at their wax.

"Sorry about the mess." Takigawa shut the door firmly behind us, and then slung his guitar case onto the sofa. "I don't have much time to clear up around here."

"I know what you mean. I don't either." I looked at the framed photograph of Takigawa and the girl. She looked a few years younger than him, and was smiling happily as she wrapped her arms around him. They were both standing with a mountainous tableau behind them.

"That's my sister." Takigawa noticed me looking at the picture. "The mountain behind us is Mt. Koya."

"Oh, I see. She looks very much like you." I remarked. "What's her name?"

"Miyuki." Takigawa said her name softly. His eyes looked wistful for a moment, then he quickly walked to the door.

"I'm afraid I've got to head back quickly and help the others pack up our equipment. I won't be long. If anything happens just ring me, ok?"

"I'll be fine, Takigawa." I smiled slightly. He was treating me like a young child, and his fatherly nature was somewhat amusing. "Thanks for letting me stay over, anyway."

"It's fine. But get your shift time changed, ok?" Before I could answer, he was out of the door.

In the end, I found myself in the corner again, away from the door, and peering out of a window again, waiting for Takigawa to return. It had been half an hour, and I couldn't help feeling anxious. In my hand was a crumpled piece of paper, with the scrawlings I had made about Sayomi and the man on the screens. Maybe I should write down some more information…

Soon, I had made some more notes, about the time line of what had happened:

March 5th – the last day I could remember before the memory gap.

March 21st – this was the day when those teenagers had experienced the hauntings at the house, apparently.

March 22nd – this was when Rin and Hayate experienced the hauntings.

March 29th – when Rin and Hayate found me in the river.

April 4th – I woke up in hospital on this day.

April 11th – when I was discharged from hospital.

April 13th – Day 1 of case

April 14th – Day 2 of case. Also, when I met Rin and Hayate, and had a flashback. Case later cancelled.

April 18th – Back at Shibuya hospital for work.

Today was April the 22nd. The events had happened so close together. Surely they were connected. They had to be, after what Rin and Hayate had told me. Not only had I said that word – Mattaku – like the spirits they had heard, but I had been wearing the same clothes as the spirits spotted at the building. Yes, the abandoned building was connected in some way to my disappearance. But how? And now, we couldn't even investigate the building…

Maybe I should try and analyse the fragments of memory about the burning building. Like the man with the gun, for instance. Who was he? I couldn't place a name to him, and I couldn't recognise him, yet even thinking about him made my heart speed up. In my mind, his face seemed like a blur to me, though.

A thought suddenly struck me. What about the other man? The man who had helped me escape from the burning building? I think…he died. Yes, he died outside the building. Who was he? I couldn't think of who he was either, but…

I knew him. Something about him was familiar, the harder I thought about it. I had seen him before, clearer than the hazy memory.

Then I realised. The man on the screens. He looked similar to the dead man from the building. Were they the same person?

Next to the description of the screen man, I wrote in small writing, 'Man from burning building.' I could barely keep my eyes open, though. I was so tired. Maybe I should rest my eyes for a moment…

After about an hour and a half of packing away stereos and speakers, Takigawa finally arrived back at his apartment. It had taken longer than usual, after one of the speakers had vanished. The somewhat arrogant singer of his band had insisted that Takigawa and their main electrician had merely miscounted, but Takigawa knew otherwise. In the end, they had not been able to find the missing speaker, and simply headed to their separate homes. Now, Takigawa was back, at half 2 in the morning. He had not bumped into anyone suspicious on his way back, and there had been no one lingering around outside his apartment, so he could at least tell that to John. It would help ease his mind.

Opening the door and entering his front room, Takigawa's gaze immediately fell on John, curled up in a corner opposite his shrine, by the window. The young man was fast asleep. Poor guy, the whole situation must have been a nightmare for him. Closing the door tightly, Takigawa walked quietly over to him. What was he doing in the corner?

As silently as he could, Takigawa crouched down beside John as he slept. His face was pale, and he frowned slightly in his sleep. In his hand, a piece of paper was tightly gripped, while another had fallen to the floor. Takigawa picked up the fallen piece of paper, trying not to make it rustle. On it, slanted and messy notes had been written. Takigawa scanned over them. They were in English, so he took care to translate them carefully. They mentioned a spirit, a woman called Sayomi. So this was who John had been talking to outside the house. Yet as Takigawa read on, his eyes fell on strange words. This woman had…warned John? Had he translated that right? To be sure, Takigawa reread the sentence. No, it was definitely right. The woman had warned John about something…a colleague?

Takigawa read on, about the man on the screens that only John had been able to see. His eye was immediately drawn to a small, neat sentence that stood out from the rest of the scrawled handwriting. John must have written it recently. Again, Takigawa translated it.

'Man from burning building (?)'

Burning building? What on earth?

Takigawa stared at the sleeping amnesiac. Could he remember more than he was letting on?

Strangely, Takigawa's eyes were this time drawn to John's neck. He could see the bandaged wrapped around it. When he had asked what the bandage was for, John had muttered something about cutting it. Yet there were no traces of blood on it. And surely the cut would have healed by now. Before he knew what he was doing, Takigawa was reaching his hand ever so slowly towards the bandage. His fingers brushed it.

Then John stirred, and Takigawa retreated his hand. He watched John nervously, as his eyes flickered open slightly. Confused, the young man stared at Takigawa, his blue eyes bemused.

"…Kazuki?" His voice was hushed.

Who was Kazuki? "Um, no…It's me. Takgiawa."

John blinked a few times, then seemed to regain his senses. He scrambled into an upright position, looking embarrassed.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realise you were there, I must have fallen asleep…" He began, sounding slightly panicked. "Um…what time is it?"

"It's about…25 to 3." Takigawa checked his watch.

"Oh…" John frowned. "Um…was there something you needed to tell me?"

"Hm?"

"Well, it's just…you were crouched down beside me, so…"

Takigawa felt his face flush, and he quickly stood up and strode over to the sofa.

"No, you just looked a bit cold, I was wondering whether or not to fetch you a jacket or something." He hastily made an excuse.

"Oh, ok." John seemed to believe it. To avoid any more questioning, Takigawa turned on his television, with a cracked screen and the minimum amount of channels, and switched it to the news. As the news reporter spoke, Takigawa thought about what John had said.

"So…have you heard of a guy called Kazuki?" He tried to ask casually.

John frowned, and thought for a moment. After a while, he shook his head.

"No, sorry…Why, who is he?"

"Oh, well…you were muttering the name…in your sleep…"

Suddenly, John had hurried over to Takigawa and stood close to the television. He stared at the writing on the screen, his eyes wide in shock.

"What is it?" Takigawa turned up the volume.

"…victim was believed to work in Shibuya hospital. Doctor Nakumura's car was found in a river in the early hours of yesterday morning, and a body was found inside. Experts believe it to be Nakumura-san, although cause of death has not yet been discovered, although sources reveal that the brakes failed on his car, suggesting that his tragic death was an accident…"

Takigawa turned to John, who looked now even paler than before, and was beginning to tremble slightly.

"Did you know him?" Takigawa asked gently. Now, John turned to Takigawa.

"He…He was my doctor. When I was hospitalised."

On the television, the news report came to an end, and the adverts began to play.


	10. Chapter 10: Gift

**(A/N): Happy 10th Chapter Anniversary! Wow, I didn't think we'd get up to 10 so quickly...Thank you so much for reading this fanfiction, and I hope that you enjoy the chapter! Also, thank you very much for your lovely reviews, they make me happier than you'd imagine :)**

* * *

The hospital meeting hall was solemn and lugubrious. Rows of seats had been arranged, all filled with workers dressed in complete black clothing. Not a speck of colour could be seen. Everyone was silent as they stared towards the front of the hall. There, a black clothed table was positioned, and on top of it a framed photo of Doctor Nakumura had been placed. Next to it, a glass vase filled with white chrysanthemum was positioned.

A man walked stiffly to the front of the hall, and stood in front of a podium with a microphone. For a moment, he was silent. Then he began to speak gravely.

"Doctor Nakumura was a good and diligent worker." He began. "Not only was he honest and clear to his patients, but loyal. He did not allow money or politics or even the pressures of society repel him from making the best choices for his patients."

The rest of the hospital workers listened in complete silence.

"The kindness of Doctor Nakumura did not end with his clients, and not even with his friends, but to all those around him. He was a good man, and a man I wish I could have known better." The man's words echoed across the meeting hall.

"We have all felt the effects of this tragedy, and we are still reeling from it. The accident that claimed Doctor Nakumura's life will remain in our memory. But we must hold precious the memory of his compassion and humanity. It is something that we cannot allow his death to conceal. What he has contributed to this hospital will never be forgotten."

After the speech, the funeral ended abruptly, for there was work to do and patients that needed to be seen. Hospital life began to continue as if nothing had ever happened. There was no time for grief or shock.

"I can't believe it happened, though." Amaya insisted to talk about it, as did most of the other nurses. Whenever there was a death in the hospital, the death of a colleague, it seemed that the nurses were the ones who carried on talking about that person for a while to come. However, eventually, the news died down and everyone carried on their normal work.

As for me, I was still shaken up. Doctor Nakumura's death was surely not a coincidence. My amnesia had finally given way slightly, and I had discovered information that either the police or Doctor Nakumura should have told me about. And when I tried to find him, ask him what 'Mattaku' was, his car crashed into a river after the brakes failed.

"Poor man. I guess it makes you think," Leiko agreed, "that this kind of thing could happen to any of us. At any time."

"Who was the man who made the speech?" I asked, for I did not recognise him.

Amaya looked surprised. "It was the hospital manager. Didn't you know that?"

I shook my head. "This must be my first time actually seeing him."

Leiko laughed bitterly. "For good reason, he doesn't normally make appearances for lowly nurses like us."

"To be really honest with you," Amaya added, "he probably made up most of that stuff he said. I'd bet he doesn't really know a thing about Doctor Nakumura."

"But did you hear?" Leiko spoke up. "About the flowers?"

Amaya frowned. "The flowers?"

"Yeah." Leiko nodded. "Apparently, someone placed a load of orange lilies with the white chrysanthemum in the vase."

Hearing this, Amaya looked appalled. "How disrespectful."

I knew that in Japan, funeral customs were seen as obligatory for everyone to follow, and one of these included the only flowers allowed being white chrysanthemum. It was a flower especially reserved for someone who had passed away, and at a normal funeral each attendee was supposed to bring some.

Leiko scowled. "And of all the flowers, orange _lilies_."

"Why are orange lilies so bad?" I asked. Leiko and Amaya did not mind my cultural knowledge gaps, and were often eager to explain rather than take offence.

"Well, in Japan we have a thing called Hanakotoba." Amaya explained to me. "It's kind of a language using flowers."

"Oh, I see." There was a similar Victorian custom in Great Britain that involved this. "So what do orange lilies stand for?"

"Hate." Amaya said the word bluntly. "Revenge, too."

"The person in charge of setting up the hall says he has no idea where they came from." Leiko told us. "Of course, he's gotten into loads of trouble. Doctor Nakumura was very interested in Hanakotoba, so I reckon someone who didn't like him put those there through spite."

"How terrible." I understood now why they had both sounded so shocked.

"Well, I bet you're weirded out." Amaya suddenly spoke up. I gave her a puzzle look.

"What do you mean?"

"Two car accidents within three months? Both because of failed brakes? And both people were slightly related to you in some way?"  
I froze. "What?"

Now Amaya looked puzzled. "What do you mean? Remember, Itsuke Watanabe?"

I shook my head. "No…"

"He was one of your patients."

One of my patients? "When?"

"Umm…sometime in February, I think…"

I strained my memory, turning the name over in my head. Itsuke Watanabe…But I could not remember it at all. A thought occurred to me – was this something to do with my amnesia? Yet apparently this patient was in hospital in February, before the month gap. I could remember everything up until then just fine.

Then again…well, I hadn't really been thinking about what happened before the 5th of March. Instead, I had been trying to figure out what happened within that date and when I woke up in hospital. And thinking back…well, I couldn't remember anything particularly important happening. It was three months ago, so it would be normal not to remember what happened each day. Even so, I should be able to remember something like that. So why couldn't I?

Unless…there was more missing from my memory then I initially thought?

"Is he still alive?" I asked Amaya. However, she shook her head.

"No, he passed away a few days after he was admitted."

For the rest of the day, I thought about this man. Itsuke Watanabe…Itsuke Watanabe…Who was he? Was he important? Why had my memory blocked him? During my break, I tried to find records of him. Strangely, there was no record of him being admitted to the hospital, not even an autopsy report. I pointed this out to Amaya.

"Well, you were the one who mentioned it to me."

"What exactly did I say?"

"You just said that a man you met from your other job was admitted here, and you were surprised."

"Which job?"

"I can't remember."

So I began my search for Itsuke Watanabe. Was he important? Maybe he wasn't. Maybe he was just an unlucky man who I knew by coincidence. But it did not explain why I had forgotten him, and it did not explain the fact that he had apparently succumbed to the exact same accident as Doctor Nakumura.

The next day, I headed over to the SPR office. Perhaps he had been a client who wanted us to solve a case. Knocking first on the door, I headed into the office. So far, I had not seen the strange man who had been watching me a few nights ago, but this did not lift my unease whenever I walked the streets. After the news report announcing Doctor Nakumura's death, Takigawa and I had not really spoken much. If anything, it was my fault – the news had shocked me into silence, and Takigawa had sensed this. I was thankful that he had not pursued the topic, although I could tell he had many questions he wanted to ask me.

Entering the office, I could only see Mai sitting behind the desk, and she ran up to greet me.

"Oh, hi John-kun! What brings you here? If you're looking for Naru, I'm afraid he's out right now."

"Oh, that's ok." I stepped into the office, closing the door behind me. "How have you been?"

"Umm, ok, I guess…I can't help wondering about that house, though."

"I know, I wonder who bought it." I agreed with her.

She beckoned to me. "Do you want some tea or something?"

"No, thanks. I just came to check something…"

Mai sat down behind the desk. "What do you want to know?"

"Um…did a man called Itsuke Watanabe come by at any point?"

"For a case?"

"Maybe…"

Mai frowned and stared at the ceiling. "Um…not that I can remember…let me check through the records…" Reaching into a drawer behind the desk, she took out a wad of papers and leafed through them. After a while, she shook her head regretfully.

"Sorry, he never came here. Why, is he a friend of yours?"

"He was a patient at the hospital I work at."

"Oh, ok…Wait, you work at a hospital?!"

I nodded. "Yeah. You sound surprised."

"I always thought you were just a priest…"

A thought suddenly struck me. "Hey, Mai, do you recognise this man?" I took out my mobile and opened up a browser. After a moment of searching, I came to the hospital website. There, a picture of Doctor Nakumura had been posted, informing people of his death and the small service. I showed the picture to Mai.

"Ummm…" She squinted at it. "Wait a minute…that's the guy from my dream!"

My heart thudded in my chest, but I hid the feeling of both dread and revelation.

Mai looked at me, confused. "Who is he? What made you think to show him to me?"

"He was a doctor at the hospital." I explained. "A few days ago, they found his car and body in a river. They examined the car and found out his brakes stopped working, and they think that's how he died."

"Oh…I wonder why I had that dream…" Mai pondered the information. However, there was something I hadn't told her – she had had that dream on April 14th. Yet the body was only discovered a few nights ago, on April 21st. And during this time, when I was searching for Doctor Nakumura, I noticed on his timetable that someone had been changing and cancelling his appointments. As far as I was aware, Mai didn't have dreams of future events, only the past and present. That meant that Doctor Nakumura must have died on or before April 14th. So why did his appointments with his clients get cancelled and changed? If he was already dead, then it couldn't have been Doctor Nakumura that changed them.

So someone had changed them for him? Someone who already knew that he was dead?

At that moment, there was a slow, steady knock on the door. Three times, no more. Then nothing. Mai hurried over to the door and opened it.

"Hello, can I help you?" Then she stopped abruptly.

"What is it?"

"There's no one here…" She peered curiously down into the corridor. "That's strange…"

Almost nervously, I followed her to the door, just as she exclaimed, "Ok, this is weird."

"Hm?" I looked down at the door way. A single, orange flower had been placed there.

Mai picked it up. "A lily?"

The sudden realisation came to me. An orange lily. Just like at the service. What did Amaya say it meant?

_Hate. Revenge, too._

Leaving from the office somewhat hastily, I hurried to the church. This must have been the other 'job' that Amaya meant. While I headed over there, I felt even more nervous than I did when I set out this morning. The orange lily left behind had set me on edge. Someone had left it there deliberately for me, they knew only I would understand what it meant. So as I walked down the streets, I was constantly alert, keeping my eye on every individual that walked too close to me, or seemed to be following me from a distance. Nothing happened, but as I arrived at the church, I was so full of adrenaline that I couldn't stop my hands from shaking. At the gate, a group of the children from Father Toujou's day-care spotted me, and ran over to me excitedly.

"Father John! Father John!" There were two of them, carrying skipping ropes. I forced a smile, despite my nervous state.

"Hey, what're you playing?"

"Skipping!" One of the young girls thrust forwards the skipping rope into my face.

"That sounds like fun. Hey, you haven't seen Father Toujou by any chance, have you?"

One of the boys shook his head. "But a man came to the gate a minute ago, and he had something for you!"

My heart froze in dread. "Oh?"

The boy held out an orange lily proudly. "He asked me to take special care of it for you!"

Hiding the sick feeling at the pit of my stomach, I took the lily from him. "Wow, you've really taken care of it! Thank you!"

The boy beamed, and he and the girl ran back to the playground, where they continued their skipping.

I examined the lily gingerly, resisting the want to throw it onto the road and let it be trampled by the traffic. Whoever was doing this was messing with me now. All subtlety was gone. The message was sick and clear.

Just then, I heard someone calling my name. I saw Father Toujou walking out of the church.

"Father Brown! What brings you here?"

I hurried up to him thankfully. "Oh, good day, Father Toujou. How are you?"

"I'm fine, and the kids are doing great, too. Yesterday, two siblings finally managed to get into their foster home."

"Oh, that's good. They weren't split up, then?"

"No, which is very good."

"Actually, Father…" I turned back to the gate. "Two of the kids told me that a stranger talked to them. Maybe you should make sure they don't go near the gate…"

Father Toujou frowned. "That's strange, I always tell them never to go near the gate. They normally listen. What did this stranger say?"

"Umm…nothing much, apparently." I held the lily behind my back as inconspicuously as I could.

Still frowning, Father Toujou began to walk back to the church, beckoning me. As we walked, he asked me,

"So, what brings you here today? I wasn't planning a service today."

"Oh, well, there was something I wanted to ask you." As we walked past a flower bed, I quickly dropped the lily onto the soil.

"Hm?"

"Have you heard of a man called Itsuke Watanabe?"

Father Toujou paused. "Hmm…"

I held my breath as he thought.

"I believe I have." At this news, relief washed through me. "Yes, he came here a few months ago."

"Oh, why?"

"Well, I never saw the man myself, but you told me he wanted us to include a mention about his granddaughter in one of the services."

"His granddaughter?"

"Yes, I think she was ill at the time."

"What was her name?"

Father Toujou gave me a slightly bemused look. "Well, you _were_ the one who told me, Father Brown." He laughed. Hastily, I tried to think of an excuse.

"Oh, I just wanted to check I had the facts right."

"Well, I believe her name was…Sayomi, I think?"

I stopped dead in my tracks. "Saymoi? Are you sure?"

Father Toujou nodded. "Why, what's the matter?"

My heart was racing in my chest. "Oh, well…she passed away, recently…"

Father Toujou's face fell. "Oh, how unfortunate. Poor girl. How did she die?"

I felt myself becoming light-headed, but I pushed the feeling away. "I don't know the details."

"I assume that Watanabe-san must be upset."

"Well, umm…he died as well. In a car accident."

"That really is dreadful." Father Toujou shook his head sadly. "How tragic."

Something clicked into my mind.

…"_We've never actually met before, so I wasn't certain. But you looked just like Oji-chan described."…_

…_"How do you know me?"_

_"Oji-chan told me."…_

Sayomi mentioned she had a grandfather, and this grandfather had told her about me. Now I knew that he was dead, and through exactly the same way Doctor Nakumura had died. There was no way this was a coincidence. And, remembering the lily, someone knew that I was beginning to piece the puzzle together.

Saying good-bye to Father Toujou, I walked slowly out of the church, slightly dazed. Heading over to the gate of the church, I was alert for anyone suspicious. However, there was no one at the gate. Tentatively, I edged out, looking around carefully. Again, no one was there. I stepped out onto the street.

"I see you didn't like my gifts, then."

I froze and turned around slowly. A man was leaning on the gate. He had not been there a moment ago.

"What a shame. I went through so much effort…" His voice was smooth and silky. But underneath the surface, there was a clear malice.

At once, my entire body became paralysed. I could not move. Only stare at the man.

He wore a suit, complete black. From head to toe, everything was black. So my eyes were drawn at once to the orange lily he held in his fingers, rolling the stem back and forth between them.

"You know, that service was a complete bore. Good man…tragic death…it's always the same." As he spoke, he examined the lily carefully.

"The only reason I went was to see you." At these words, his gaze rose and he fixed two black eyes onto me.

"So you should be glad. Thankful, really." The corner of his mouth twitched into a smile.

I swallowed. "Who are you?"

The man laughed. A small, gentle chuckle.

"Oh, my dear John. Don't you remember?" Then he stepped forwards towards me. I tensed immediately, every part of me wanted to flee and cower before the man. Yet I stood my ground.

Finally, the man reached me. He was taller than me, so he leaned down until his mouth was next to me ear. For a moment, he said nothing. Then, ever so softly, he whispered in my ear.

"I'm your colleague."


	11. Chapter 11: Appearance

**(A/N): Well, here you go, chapter 11. Most of my exams are now over, so I will have more time to write! :) I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Terror. Sheer terror. There was no other word to describe it.

The man could sense it, I knew. He watched me, watched my reaction, and when he saw my face pale and my body beginning to tremble, his mouth broke into a smile.

"Why are you scared?" He tilted his head, furrowed his eye brows. His tone was puzzled, as if he did not understand why I was terrified. Yet his eyes said differently; he knew I was scared and he loved it.

I tried to calm myself. It was near impossible.

"You didn't answer my question. Who are you?" Trying to stop my voice from shaking, all I could think of was the one blunt question that stood like an ink stain on my mind: was he going to kill me now?

In response, the man sighed and rolled his eyes. "I told you who I am."

"I meant your name."

The man paused, as if thinking about my question.

"…No. I don't think I'll tell you. Where's the fun in that?"

Swallowing, I pushed away my fear. "Then why are you here, colleague-san?"

The man smirked. "I thought it would be fitting to make an appearance now."

I backed away from this madman. "Why? I don't understand."

The man looked bored, and fiddled with the lily in his hands. Slowly, he peeled the petals from the sepal, and when each one disconnected from the flower, he looked on in fascination.

"I'm afraid it's a bit complicated." He let the petals float gently to the ground.

I stepped further back from the man. The colleague. This was bad, I needed to get away from this man. I could not call for help – the only place nearby was the church, and there was no way I wanted the children there, or even Father Toujou, to be put at risk.

The man frowned at my gradual retreat. "What's the matter? Are you leaving?" He tossed the lily onto the ground, and shuffled forwards.

"Stay away from me." I could not contain my fear and desperation any longer.

The man looked offended. "I only wanted to _see_ you."

"I said, stay away from me." I repeated it through gritted teeth.

The man sighed, exasperated. "John…"

But I turned my back, and left as quickly as I could.

By the time I returned home, it was late, around 8pm. I had spent the majority of the day trying to stay wherever there were a lot of people hanging around, whether that was a supermarket, a park or a shopping mall. The more people, the better – it made me feel safer, somehow. And all the while, I was constantly looking out for the colleague, straining my eyes against the backdrop and the crowd in case he was there. But I did not see him anywhere. Was he still following me? Deep down, I knew the answer was yes, no matter how much I wanted it not to be.

More worryingly, what exactly did he want? Why had he appeared? All this time, he had been acting in secrecy. And yet he suddenly decides to show up, in broad daylight, in front of the church? He even talked to the children there. What was his motive? He had not killed me, not yet anyway. So why was he here?

The darkening sky drained the colour from the wisteria that crawled up the side of the apartment, and the plants on the second floor balcony seemed much duller than normal. It was with hesitation and caution that I began to enter the apartment. It did not feel safe anymore. If the colleague had been able to track my movements, even predict my movements and leave that lily behind in advance at the church, then surely he would have no problem in finding my apartment. None of the other residents had mentioned seeing anyone hanging around, though, so perhaps he had decided to keep away from my home.

Unlocking the various locks on my door, I automatically turned to stop the alarm ringing. I pushed in the numbers, and while I did, my phone began to buzz in my pocket. Quickly, I checked the caller. It was Takigawa.

With only a second of uncertainty, I pressed the accept button.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me. I was just calling to, um, see how you were doing."

"Oh…" Distractedly, I pressed in the security number for the alarm again, as it seemed I had been incorrect the first time and the alarm was still buzzing.

"Um, thanks, I'm doing fine. What about you?"

"I'm fine, but I more want to hear about you. Have you, you know…remembered anything?"

I paused. "Um…well, no."

"Oh…nothing about this Kazuki person?"

"Kazuki?" Frowning, I pressed the security number in frustration, my number apparently incorrect for the third time.

"Yeah, remember a few nights ago when you stayed at my place? And you heard the news of your colleague's death on the tv?"

"Um…" I struggled to think. Now that I thought about it, just before Doctor Nakumura's death was announced, Takigawa had been asking about whether I knew someone called…Kazuki, was it?"

"Vaguely…why do you ask?"

"Well…it's just, when you were asleep, you started to say that name. You, er…you called me it."

"Oh." I frowned. "That's strange…I don't know anyone called Kazuki…"

"Huh. I think you do."

I froze. That was not Takigawa's voice.

On the other end, Takigawa sounded puzzled. "Hey, what's that noise?"

It took me a long moment to reassemble my thoughts and answer. "It's…the alarm." Carefully, I pressed in my pin number one more time, making sure I made no mistakes. It was incorrect. Someone had changed the pin number.

Oh God. No. Please no.

Time seemed to freeze as I walked down the hallway, into the main room.

The colleague regarded me with an expectant, almost impatient expression on his plain and indistinguishable face. He was sitting calmly on a sofa, examining his nails. As I stood, dazed, he glanced at the phone in my hand and shook his head.

"Hey, Takigawa…can I…call you back?" I had to do what the colleague wanted. I was too afraid not to.

"Um, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Miraculously, I kept control over my voice, despite the dread filling up inside of me.

"Oh, ok. Call me back some time, ok?"

"Yeah, sure. Bye."

"See you."

I hung up, and lowered the mobile from my ear. Then I turned back to the colleague.

It took a minute to work up the courage to speak. "…Did you…change my pin number?" Right now, it was the only question I could manage.

The colleague pulled a guilty face. "Yeah…About that…I thought you needed a new one. Your old one isn't much use anymore."

I honestly didn't know how to react.

"You know, I've been waiting here for a while. It's been quite boring. What took you so long?"

"I, er…" He was not brandishing a knife, he had not taken out a gun. The only thing in his hands was a cup, which he took a sip out of.

"I had to stop off at a few places." My mind was still reeling so much, all I could do was respond like his presence was normal.

The colleague nodded in understanding, then put his cup down on the table in front of him. He then stood up and walked into the kitchen.

"Do you take milk with yours?"

"With my what?"

"Your tea."

"Oh, um…I don't really want one."

I heard the colleague tut. "Oh, come on. I'm not putting _poison_ into it or something."

Trying to steady my shaking hands, I called to him, "Why are you here?"

The colleague came back into the main room, carrying another cup. He gestured to the sofa with his head. "Sit down."

I did not argue. Instead, I slowly sat down on the sofa. He passed me the cup, and sat next to me.

Clasping his hands together, he said, "I think it's time we had a little talk."

I placed the cup down on the table, not giving the liquid inside a glance. "Yes, I think we do. Why are you here?"

"To talk to you, I just said. You know," he took a sip from his own cup, "I was going to speak to you earlier. I saw you on the streets at night ago or so, when you were walking home from the hospital."

I felt my heart jolt. So it hadn't been a drunkard wondering around on the street who had stopped and watched me. It was him.

"Why were you watching me?" I demanded, lacking confidence in my voice. The man rolled his eyes. "It's not like it was the first time. I've seen you a few times since you were discharged. Not many, it took me longer than I expected to find you."

"…A few times?"

"Oh yes. Let me tell you, I got a bit worried once. You're such a silent sleeper, it would be easy to mistake you for…a corpse."

I resisted the urge to throw up, and I started to feel dirty; defiled. He had watched me sleeping. He had broken into my apartment and watched me sleep.

"Why…why would you do that?" I was surprised the words were able to form in my mouth. The man did not reply to my question. Instead, he placed down his cup and turned to me, his gaze roaming up and down my body. I remained frozen in paralysis. Finally, his gaze fell on my neck.

"…What's that? A bandage?" He leant in closer, peering at it. Automatically, my hand flew to the bandage protectively. The mark was still there – faint, a nasty green colour, but still there. I did not know why it was taking so long to heal.

As if echoing my thoughts, the man pondered, "It must be taking a long time to heal, am I right?"

I said nothing.

"I know Saburou is quite…brutal, but I must say, I'm surprised it hasn't healed yet. He walked forwards, hand reaching towards my neck, as if to take the bandage off. At once, I batted his hand away.

The man stopped. "Now now, John, what's the matter? I only wanted to look. You might want to consult someone about it"

I raised my head indignantly, in spite of my fear. "I'm sorry, colleague-san, but my neck is none of your business."

The man was not fazed. "Well, there's something I must know, John. What did you tell your friends? What excuse did you make up?"

I froze. What did he know about my friends? Enough to threaten them? Enough to hurt them?

"…Car accident." My voice was suddenly a lot quieter than before. Hearing this, the man began to laugh.

"…A car accident." Finally, his laughing subsided. "That's funny, isn't it? Everything is about car accidents. Am I right?"

The realisation came to me. "You…you caused Doctor Nakumura's car crash. Didn't you?"

The man sighed apologetically. "It had to be done, I'm afraid. Your co-worker wanted to tell you some valuable information that I'd rather you didn't know."

He was talking about Mattaku, whatever that might be. I knew that telling him I had already remembered something about it would be foolish.

"Oh? What might that be?" I asked instead.

The man pulled a face. "Weren't you listening? I just said I don't want you to know." He looked towards the hallway, where the alarm was still buzzing.

"Turn that thing off, will you?" He asked, irritated.

"Well, I can't really. I don't know what the pin is now."

He smirked slightly at my hard stare. "It's 011511." I stood up and walked to the alarm. After pressing in the numbers, it stopped making noise.

"By the way, who were you on the phone to?" The colleague called to me. I walked reluctantly back into the room. This time, I did not sit down again.

"Did you say his name was...Takigawa?"

"That's none of your business." My tone was more forceful than before. "Cut the crap already- what do you want with me?"

The man rolled his eyes disdainfully. "Oh, please John, calm down. I'm not going to kill your friend. And I'm not going to kill you either. Well, not yet, anyway. It's far too early for that, so stop acting like a drama queen."

I stared at him. I felt the bile rising in my throat. This proved it. He wanted to kill me. Not now, but eventually. Suddenly, nothing felt real anymore. How did I get into this situation? How did it come to be that someone wanted to kill me? I could not understand.

The man continued talking. "Anyway, you mentioned Kazuki. I'm surprised you don't remember him, and him of all people. He would be quite upset."

"Who is he?"

The colleague opened his mouth, then faltered. "Actually…how about you pretend you never heard that name?" His suggestion was insistent, and his tone almost aggressive.

"…How about you just leave me alone?" I felt panic as I said the words, for offending him could end up getting me murdered, but I said them regardless.

The colleague frowned. "Whatever do you mean?"

I was taking a risk here, but I took it nonetheless. "I've got amnesia. You must know that."

The colleague watched me with his black, cold eyes. "Yes, I know. Go on."

"I can't remember what happened. Whatever you…did to me, I can't remember. And I have no intention to."

"I am afraid it's not that simple."

"What do you mean?"

The colleague stood up and walked slowly towards me, startlingly close. When I tried to shuffle backwards, he just continued walking forwards.

"The thing is, John, you _will_ remember. Whether you want to or not." Soon, my back was against the wall of the room. I could not retreat any more. The colleague stood very close to me. I could feel his breath against my skin. It made my skin crawl.

"The way I see it, you're a time bomb. I don't know when you will go off, but you will. One day." His eyes bored into me, filled with spite and animosity.

"And when you go off," he continued, hatred spilling from his tone, "when your amnesia breaks…" At the last word, he held his hand under my chin and jerked my head upwards. For a moment, he said nothing. Panic coursed through me, and I struggled to restrain it. The man licked his lips nervously, and blinked a few times, his hatred swiftly altering into anxiety.

"…I'll be vulnerable. And I don't like being vulnerable." In no time at all, the alarm was gone, and the malice was back in his eyes.

"You see, you've caused a lot of trouble for me, John. Oh, an awful lot of trouble. And for that, I will make you pay." He said each word quietly, tauntingly. I could not say anything in response; my fear was too great. So he carried on speaking.

"The only real reason you're alive now, and not in a tragic accident like dear Nakumura-san, is because it's rather inconvenient for me. If you were to die suddenly, there would be many people who would doubt your death. And I can't just kill them off as well. It starts to get a bit messy if you do that. No. You don't have to worry about your inevitable death just yet, John. Not for a while."

At last, he stepped away from me. I let out a shaky breath, despite myself. Adrenaline was coursing through my veins, pulsating sickeningly.

The man stepped back, satisfied at the panic he had invoked.

"Well…" He spoke after a moment of silence. "I'm afraid I must take my leave now. It's been a pleasure seeing you, John."

He walked out of the room and down the hallway, humming a strange tune to himself that made my heart beat even faster. He stopped before the door.

"Take care of yourself."

Then he opened the door and walked out. The door clicked shut, and he was gone.


	12. Chapter 12: Recollection

**(A/N): Here is chapter 12. It took longer than I originally predicted to write it, so sorry it's a bit late. Thank you so much for reading this!**

* * *

It was well past 11 o'clock when Takigawa heard the knock on his door. By now, the sky was black and unwelcoming. An unexpected rainstorm had begun suddenly, and the air was unusually cold for the middle of April. Watching as the rain lashed angrily down onto the concrete streets, Takigawa had been turning the same questions over and over in his mind for a long time. And all the questions were about John, his amnesia and what he was hiding from Takigawa.

For one, who was Kazuki? John had denied knowing him when Takigawa spoke to him earlier on the phone. Yet Takigawa was sure this was a lie. The way John had said the name, the look in his eye when he had mistaken Takigawa for this Kazuki person…he had seemed relieved, more than that, _happy_…so to say he did not know this person was surely a lie.

Then there was the question of the notes Takigawa had found. Apparently, a female spirit – Sayomi – had warned him about a colleague. Who was this person? Furthermore, there was the case of the spirit of a man on the camera screens that John had seen, and a vision that no one else had seen. According to the notes he had made, John thought this man was someone from…a burning building. What exactly had he seen? And why was he keeping it a secret?

So when someone knocked at his door, Takigawa started as he snapped out of his thoughtful daze. He faltered for a moment, wondering who would be visiting at this hour. One of the members of the band, maybe? Perhaps someone had finally found the missing speaker, after they had convinced the lead singer it had disappeared. While he struggled to think who would be at the door, the knocking came again. Rapid and urgent, they eventually got louder and louder.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming!" Irritated, Takigawa strode hastily to his front door and unlocked it. As he swung it open rather violently, his ill-temper ceased and changed swiftly to worry.

"John-kun?" The young foreigner was standing at the door, and his face was white and ashen.

"Um, hey…" His voice was barely audible.

"Are you ok?" Takigawa could not hide the concern from his voice. "You look so pale."

John swallowed and stared at the floor.

"I, er…." Then he raised his head and looked swiftly around him, behind him.

"Would it be ok if, um…if I came in? Just quickly? Please?" He added on the last words as if he was afraid of being turned away.

"Sure, of course." Takigawa ushered John inside. Something was wrong. He had never seen John look so nervous.

Now it was John who stood by the window, staring out into the rain. In silence, Takigawa watched him intently, bemused by his cautious and almost panicked behaviour.

Coughing slightly, he tried to break the tense atmosphere. "Do you, er…want some tea?"

This is what Mai must feel like all the time, he thought to himself.

Strangely, at the mention of tea, John visibly flinched. "Um…no thanks. I'm fine."

Takigawa frowned. "Oh, ok. 'You want something else to drink?"

John shook his head gently, then took a deep, quiet breath. Exhaling, he shut his eyes, and when he opened them, a new, scared determination was in place.

"Can I…talk to you about something?"

"Yeah, sure. What is it?"

"It's…about my amnesia."

Takigawa froze. His amnesia?

"…Come sit down." Pushing a variety of objects off a sofa, he beckoned John over. John hesitated, then walked slowly to him.

"Is it ok? That…we talk about this?" He sounded unsure as he sat down.

Takigawa nodded reassuringly. "Of course." He sat down beside the priest.

John pursed his lips. "…I don't know where to start."

"Start at the very beginning.

I took a deep breath to try and calm myself. Should I really be doing this? Was I endangering Takigawa by telling him about what had happened to me? Everything that I knew? Then again, my choices were running out. About an hour after the colleague had left my apartment, I had gone to the police station and told them what happened. They did not believe me, and thought I was simply 'attention seeking'. And I needed to tell someone, someone who would believe me. I had no idea where Sinead was, as she was not picking up her calls, despite her previous message that she was coming over to Japan. As for the rest of my family, somehow I could not bring myself to tell them. Every time I had worked up enough courage, it would suddenly dissipate as soon as I picked up the phone. Takigawa seemed the only person I was comfortable with confiding in, and the only person who might believe me.

"I…I can remember…some details about what happened."

Takigawa's eyes widened. "What?! How much?!"

"Not much." My fingers played with the bandage around my neck. "I was…in this building. Now that I think about it….it might have been a hospital, or a doctor's clinic."

"What makes you think so?"

"There was this smell. Of sterilised floors. I could just about make it out against –" I faltered, and shuddered. "Against the smoke."

The information was out now. And with each word, I felt more secure. Someone knew, someone who would understand and believe my account. I began to tell him everything, about the fire and the blood that stained the floor. Soon, I was telling him about the man.

"There was a man." My gaze averted to the side as I recalled the memory. "He was wearing a lab coat. Like a doctor. And he was telling me to run away."

"What did this man look like?"

"He…" I frowned. "He…I can't…I'm not sure. But I think…the man I saw on the screens in that abandoned house, they're the same people. I'm sure of it."

"How so?"

"I don't…I don't know. When I try to remember the man from the building, I can't remember his facial features. But I'm sure they're the same people."

I told him how he led me outside, where we were surrounded by forest. And how, looking back, I saw the furnace consuming the building.

"What happened then?" Takigawa's voice was soft.

I stared at the floor again, and guilt overwhelmed me. "The man died."

"What?"

"He died. He told me to run, and then he was still and he wasn't breathing. And…" I glanced at Takigawa for a mere snatch of a second before turning away again.

"What did you do?"

"I ran." I shook his head. "I had no idea what the hell was happening. I didn't know where I was, why I was there. So I just ran like he told me to."

I fell silent again. For a moment, Takigawa did not force him into speaking again.

"I should have helped him."

"John, there was nothing you could do." Takigawa interrupted me, placing a hand on my shoulder. The movement made me jump, but his words were sincere and calmed me. He did not look angry or disgusted.

"So you ran." Takigawa urged me to continue the recollection. "Where did you go?"

"Into the forest. I kept on tripping and coughing up…God, I don't know what. And then…I could hear voices. And another man was coming."

"Another man?"

"Yes. But…I was scared. I don't know why. But I was scared and I ran away faster from him. And eventually, I was out of the forest and…at a cliff edge. And a river was at the bottom."

Takigawa's face became grim. He knew what was coming.

"And a man followed me. He was carrying a gun."

"A gun?! Did he hurt you?"

"No. He told me to come away from the edge of the cliff. But I didn't. He terrified me. So…" For a moment, I was tempted to lie; to say that I fell into the river. But something inside me stopped me. I was tired of keeping secrets and lying. It only served to fuel my fear and isolation. Instead, I looked at him directly, and said the words I had been hiding.

"I jumped off the cliff."

Takigawa stared at me in shock. "…What?"

I repeated the words firmly, almost defiantly. "I jumped off the cliff."

For a moment, Takigawa was speechless. He could only stare, open-mouthed at me.

Finally, he managed to overcome his shock. "…Ok. So you jumped off. Then what?"

I shrugged. "I fell unconscious. The only thing I remember after that is waking up at the river and repeating the name Mattaku, like I told you."

Takigawa let out a breath. "So…you think it was a hospital?"

I nodded. "I can't say for sure." The smell still scared me, even after working at the hospital. I just didn't know why.

"John…is there anything else you want to tell me?" Takigawa suddenly spoke up. He looked suspicious.

Enhaling sharply, I tried to summon the words, to tell him about the colleague, but I could not find them. All I could give was an excuse. "Well…it's just…you might not want to know. And, well…" My words trailed off weakly.

Takigawa shook his head. His eyes were soft and yet intent. "Tell me."

Nodding meekly, my hand rose to the bandage around my neck.

"Um…when I got home from hospital," my voice was a lot quieter than before, "I saw this on my neck." Slowly, tentatively, I began to unwind the bandage. And when I removed it, when Takigawa saw the green mark around my neck, his eyes widened with shock.

"Who did this?"

"I don't know. But I found out something recently. Remember that dream Mai had?"

"About the man who crashed his car?"

"Yeah, that one. Well, that was Doctor Nakumura. The man who treated me when I was in hospital."

"Really?"

"Yes. And I found out…his death wasn't an accident. Someone caused that crash."

Takigawa paled. "Someone caused it? Who?"

"I don't know his name…I just call him the colleague."

Frowning, Takigawa asked, "The colleague? Why that?"

"He called into all of my work places during March, pretending to be a colleague of mine and claiming that I was going on a business trip. To cover up that…there's this month gap where no one heard from me, because I was apparently on this business trip. And during this time, I don't know what happened."

"Oh…"

"And…well…" I wrapped my arms around myself, in a defensive position. "Someone kept on sending me orange lilies. As a sign of hate. Then I was talking to Father Toujou in the church and when I left…" I swallowed. "He was there. He talked to me, introduced himself to me."

Once I had started, I couldn't stop. I told him everything. That he had watched me on the streets on the night of the news announcement. That he had come to Doctor Nakumura's funeral service. He had watched me as I slept at night. He had broken into my apartment, changed my security pin number, waited for me to arrive. That he planned to kill me.

When my account had finished, I realised that I had begun to shake at some point. Takigawa remained silent, and neither of us breathed a word for a while. Breathing deeply, trying to calm myself, I looked to Takigawa. His expression was blank, as if he was still trying to comprehend what he had heard.

"…Have you told the police?" Finally, he spoke up.

"They didn't believe me."

Takigawa opened his mouth to speak, then closed it, sighing exasperatedly.

"…I…what are you going to do?" He asked.

"I don't know." That was the problem. There was not much I could do, not if the police didn't believe me. And each possible option seemed extreme or ineffective.

"I could leave the country. Head back to Australia."

Takigawa nodded. "You could."

"If I was to leave for Australia…what if he follows me?"

"Wouldn't that be…unpractical for him?" Takigawa pointed out.

"I know. But…I don't think he sees it that way. He's a sadist. I'm sure of it. The way he just…revealed himself like that, the lilies, the message from the hospital, his manner of speaking and the way he looked at me…" I shuddered. "He liked watching my terror. He found it amusing. Appealing. And he told me…he wants me to pay, he wants to punish me. I don't know what I did, but I angered him. And he will make sure I am punished, wherever I am."

The thought was a terrifying one, but I had acknowledged it already. He would try to kill me, wherever I was, no matter what happened.

"…_The only real reason you're alive now, and not in a tragic accident like dear Nakumura-san, is because it's rather inconvenient for me. If you were to die suddenly, there would be many people who would doubt your death. And I can't just kill them off as well. It starts to get a bit messy if you do that. No. You don't have to worry about your inevitable death just yet, John. Not for a while…"_

As soon as he had managed to find a way to get rid of me, a way that made no one suspicious, and a way that amused him, I would die. So that left only one option left to do.

"Well? What will you do?"

"I need to find out what happened. Who this man is, who Mattaku is, what happened during March. Everything." I had to prove his existence, and whatever secret he was keeping, to the police. It wouldn't be easy. But I couldn't think of another alternative.

"That won't be easy."

"It won't, I know that. But I have to." I looked up at Takigawa. Like before, his face was unreadable. A thought struck me suddenly. This was such a dark situation…was I going to endanger him? Was he angry? Did he even believe me?

I asked him this.

"Why would I be angry?"

I shrugged. "If you don't want to be involved with this anymore, just tell me."

Takigawa took hold of my shoulders. Immediately, I tensed in momentary panic. However, he did not hit or attack me. He just spoke softly.

"John, I will not stand by while this bastard hunts you down. Do you think I would really do that?"

"He's trying to punish me. What if he tries to punish you too?"

"I don't care. You're my friend. I can't just sit and watch. Let me help you."

These were the words that, inside, unknowingly, I had been desperate to hear. That there was finally someone I could rely on. Someone who could help me. Someone I could trust. And right now, trust seemed to be a rare, distant ideal – I could not trust the police, I could not trust the doctors. My relatives were far away, in different countries, and my friends were unaware. Except Takigawa. I could trust him.

"Look, I know you won't want to, but you should really consider telling Kazuya-san and the others. They could help you. I mean, this is Oliver Davis we're talking about. And Mai has already had a dream relating to your situation."

I nodded. He was right.

"I know it will be a hard thing to do. But let's just leave that until another day, ok? You look exhausted. Stay at mine tonight, I don't want you going back to your apartment if that creep can get in there."

"Yeah." I couldn't agree more – there was no way I was sleeping there again.

In the end, I found sitting in the corner once more, with a clock ticking loudly on the wall. The hands read 1 o'clock. Takigawa had let me sleep in a spare bedroom of his, but somehow I could not sleep in the bed. It made me feel vulnerable; exposed. After an hour of tossing and turning, I slipped out and nestled myself in the corner. Something about it made me feel a lot safer. I would have to do something about this – I couldn't keep on sleeping in a corner, people would think I was mad. But I could worry about that later. I had other things on my mind.

How would I face up to Kazuya, Mai and the others? What would they say? More importantly, how was I going to prove the existence of the colleague? As long as the police refused to believe my story, it made everything a whole lot more difficult. I had no protection from them, no help in discovering what happened, nothing. And how would I be able to find out what really happened? The colleague would try and stop me, I knew this. At least I had a few starting points – Itsuke Watanabe, Sayomi's grandfather. From the looks of things, it sounded as if his car accident was caused by the colleague, just like Doctor Nakumura's. And the colleague only would have killed Itsuke Watanabe if he knew information that he shouldn't have done, and was threatening to share it, again like Doctor Nakumura. What's more, I needed to find out what Mattaku was. The colleague did not know I had remembered a snippet of information about it, so this would be an advantage.

And finally, there was a place that I knew I needed to check out. The abandoned house, where I saw Sayomi and the man form the screens. No one would buy a house in such poor state, like Ayako had said. And thinking back to what Saymoi told me, it was most likely the colleague who had bought this house. What was he hiding there?

Eventually, the stress and uncertainty of the day began to fade away. Despite everything, I could feel myself beginning to fall asleep. I was just so exhausted…

_The day is the __2__nd__ of December. Outside, the air is freezing, and the clouds are heavily overcast. I won't be surprised if it snows again. The ground is covered in slush and ice, dirty and blackened by car exhaust and fumes. But, if the weather is going to be like it was a few weeks ago, then there should be a new layer of fresh, white snow on the ground._

_The problem with snow it that it causes more accidents than most times in the year. The hospital is completely crowded every single day. The waiting rooms are filled with people, and the ambulances are constantly being rushed in and out to deal with emergency calls. All the nurses, doctors, technicians and even the janitors are forced to work more days and longer hours during the winter months. _

_Today, I have to be able to clean the rooms of patients, who have left, as quickly as I can for the next patient. It is not an easy task, when the room has to be fully sanitised and cleaned. Any machines and heart monitors have to be tested and checked before the nurse can move on. If it was any other time of the year, then it would not be such a stressful task, and a task normally carried out by the cleaners. But since there are more patients needing beds than there are beds available, and the hospital is short staffed on cleaners, it means the nurses have to help and work even quicker than normally._

_Finally, I reach the last room before my shift ends. There are two beds, separated by a thin curtain. Right now, it is open wide, and the fabric is fraying by the hangers. In the other bed, a patient is lying with bandages wrapped around his head, while talking to one of the doctors. _

_Unfortunately, someone had reported the heart monitor as being broken, so I have to verify this before calling in the technician. As I sit in front of it, pressing buttons and flicking switches as hastily as I can, the patient in the other bed calls over to me._

"_Hey."_

_I call back simply. "Hey." I don't really have time to speak, I have to try and get this machine sorted._

_For a moment, the patient says nothing as I battle with the machine. He speaks up again after a while._

"_What're you doing?"_

"_Sorting out a broken machine." _

"_Oh. Sounds fun." The doctor is talking to another nurse, so the patient calls over to me again._

"_You a nurse?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_Hmm…that's strange."_

_I ignore him. The doctor begins to talk to the patient again, and I am saved from his attempts at starting conversation. As for the machine, it really is broken. There must be a wire broken somewhere in the sensors. _

_One of the janitors enters the room. A small, stocky man, his name is Masaru Sato._

"_Is this the one?" He asks._

_I nod. "The sensors are broken."_

_Grumbling to himself, he walks up to the heart monitor and regards it with a sullen expression._

"_I swear, we spend more money on fixing these things than we do buying them." He complains. "Well, they're beyond me. The technician can fix it. I'll just help move it out the room." _

_After he leaves, the doctor speaks up snidely._

"_You know, you nurses complain a lot whenever you have to clean all the rooms."_

"_If you were doing it, you'd be complaining." I reply to him. "And you can't criticise us for complaining. All you ever do is complain about the food in the canteen."_

_The doctor grins. "It really is overpriced, though." _

_I nod in agreement. The doctor, carrying a clipboard filled with papers, hurries from the room. I am about to leave when the patient speaks up again._

"_You're not from here, are you?" He asks._

"_No." I look at him. He is a young man, perhaps in his twenties, and he is dressed in one of the hospital gowns. Though his head is covered in bandages, his face looks healthy and defined. _

"_You don't look Japanese yourself." I remark. His eyes are grey, for one thing, and his skin is very pale. _

"_Right." He smiles. "I'm half-Japanese, half-American. What about you?"_

"_I'm from Australia." I tell him._

_He grins. "Oh, an ozzie? What brings you here, then? I thought that foreigners weren't allowed to be nurses. Only people from Indonesia and the Philippines, right?" He is speaking in English now, so I do the same._

"_They made an exception for me. It's complicated."_

"_Wow. That's rare, making an exception."_

"_Why, do you have a problem with it?" Many doctors seem to around here. The patient is right; normally foreigners aren't allowed to become nurses or doctors. So when I managed to get a job as a nurse, it caused a lot of prejudice from the other doctors._

"_No. Just curious, that's all. I saw you, and I wanted to know what you were doing here._

"_I could ask the same. Why are you wrapped in bandages?"_

"_Oh…" He looks embarrassed. "Well, I slipped and fell on the ice. Hit my head. And, like an idiot, I just brushed it off. Then, what, a couple of hours later, I collapsed, was brought to hospital and was operated on after it turns out I was suffering from brain bleeding."_

_I grimace. "You were lucky, then. Not many people get out of that situation alive."_

"_Well, I've learnt my lesson now." He sighs. "They're keeping me in for a day or so to keep an eye on me." He tilts his head as he looks me up and down briefly. _

"_I'm guessing you stick out a bit here, don't you?" He comments. "What with the whole blond hair blue eyes thing?"_

"_Yeah. I'm used to it." _

_He peers at my identity card. "Sooo…John Brown. Nurse Brown. Where you from in Australia?"_

"_I lived in New South Wales."_

"_Isn't that near Sydney?"_

_I roll my eyes. "Sydney is in New South Wales, but I didn't live particularly near it."_

_The patient chuckles. "I guess a lot of people assume that, huh? That you live in Sydney because you're Australian."_

"_More than you'd think."_

"_Well, what do you think of the snow?"_

"_I'm sorry?"_

"_I'm guessing you don't get much snow in Australia. What with the desert in the middle."_

"_Well...it's ok, I guess…It causes a lot of accidents, though." I look at my watch. I really should be going. _

"_What's the matter? You leaving?" The patient asks. _

"_Yeah, my shift officially ends in a few minutes." I dread the cold, wet ice outside._

"_Oh…well, I'll see you around, Nurse Brown."_

"_You too…" I peer at the clipboard on the end of his bed, where his medical details and personal information is listed._

"…_Kazuki." With that, I leave the room._

**Chapter 13: **


	13. Chapter 13: Unlucky

**(A/N): I'm really, really, really sorry this took so long to upload. I was meant to upload it a while ago, but then one thing led to another and I was delayed. I'm sorry you had to wait so long, and thank you for being so patient. I have just broken up for summer, so I should be able to write a bit more. I definitely plan to get as much as I can done this summer, before I go into next year when exams get more important.  
Anyway, here's chapter 13. It's a bit longer than I originally planned, but oh well. Thanks for reading!**

* * *

"His name is Kazuki Brooks."

The receptionist typed hastily on a hospital computer. A scowl was set on her face as she searched through records and files. After a long while, she shook her head.

"There's no record of a Kazuki Brooks being admitted here."

Takigawa frowned. "You sure?"

Sighing in frustration, the receptionist pushed the key board away from her.

"I've checked four times for you. There is no record."

"Ok. Thank you for looking." Takigawa turned to me.

"You sure that was his full name?"

I nodded. "I'm certain."

Takigawa and I were at the hospital, trying to track down the man from my flashback.

"This is starting to become like the Itsuke Watanabe situation." I remarked. I had made sure to tell Takigawa about this man and his granddaughter, Sayomi.

"What do you mean?"

"There was no record of him either."

Takigawa frowned, his expression troubled. As we walked out of the hospital, he murmured to me, "…Do you think this colleague of yours had something to do with this?"

"Most probably." It was a worrying thought; someone in the hospital must have been bribed to erase the records. Perhaps Doctor Nakumura had even been bribed to withhold the information about Mattaku from me, and when he had second thoughts, the colleague killed him.

"And the police still don't believe that he exists?" The disbelief in Takigawa's voice was clear.

I nodded grimly. The sooner we could prove his existence, the better. This morning, we had already tried talking to some police officers again, explaining his actions to try and show he was real. Unfortunately, they demanded at the very least 'credible photographical evidence' before they even considered my story.

"Well, hopefully Naru-kun can help us." This was our next plan – to explain the situation to Kazuya, in hope that he could help us.

As we walked along the busy streets of Tokyo, I felt less uneasy than usual. Yes, the claustrophobic feeling of being surrounded by so many people still made me anxious. And whenever a person brushed past too close, I still felt my heart speed up. But ever since I told Takigawa, these feelings had lessened. Even if the police didn't believe me, just the fact that someone else knew lifted the isolated fear that was eating away at me.

We arrived at the Shibuya Psychic Research office. And now, standing in front of the door, courage began to drain from me. It was the same thing I was worried about – would they prefer not knowing? Even so, I knocked steadily on the door. I held my breath as it opened.

Mai was standing in the door way.

"Oh, hi Bou-san! John-kun! Come in! What brings you here?" She stepped aside, allowing us to walk in.

"Oh, there was just something we wanted to discuss with Naru-kun." Like me, Takigawa never called him 'Davis-san'. "How have you been?"

"Ugh." Mai pouted. "Exams, exams, exams. I have maths coming up, and I'm actually a bit scared."

On the other side of the office, someone laughed. Looking over, I saw that Yasuhara was sitting on one of the sofas.

"What, the great ghost hunter Mai-sama is scared of an exam?"

"Oh, how are you, Yasuhara-san?" I greeted him.

"Great. I get to stand in as the boss while he's out."

So Kazuya wasn't here. "When did he go out?"

"About…" Yasuhara looked down at his watch, "…half an hour ago, I'd say."

We'd just missed him. Sharing a brief glance of disappointment with Takigawa, I asked,

"Do you know when he will be back?"

Mai shrugged. "Recently, he just keeps going off like that. Whenever I ask where he and Lin-san are going, he just says 'some business'. It's infuriating. I'm left all alone, and it's really boring."

"Even with my company, it's been very tedious." Yasuhara wafted a handful of dishevelled school papers. "No one has called with a case, so she's been studying while I helped." He looked down at the papers in his hand. "You know, maybe you should stop missing school all the time and actually make some notes for maths. Let's say…it's an area that needs improvement."

Takigawa grinned. "Better be careful, Mai-kun, or you'll end up with a job at the supermarket."

"I already have a job, _baka_!" Mai bristled angrily. "Here! At SPR! And," She folded her arms indignantly, "everyone has areas of difficulty in school. Even you did."

"Not me." Yasuhara raised his hand.

"Anyway, I bet you sucked at maths when you were at school." Mai smirked.

"Actually, I had no problem with maths." Takigawa mimicked her posture and tone. "…It was English, for your information."

Mai scoffed. "English? Please. English is easy. I can quote Shakespeare. _To be or to not be, that is the question._" Quickly, she leaned over to me and whispered, "Is that right?"

I decided it would be wiser to pretend she was right. "Yeah…pretty much…"

Bringing the conversation back to relevance, Yasuhara asked, "So, what did you want to talk to the boss about?"

"…It's complicated." Now was not the right time to start delving into the situation, not when we had barely walked through the door. I glanced over at Takigawa, and he nodded approvingly.

"Do you want me to find out when he'll be back?" Mai picked up the telephone.

"Would that be ok?"

"Of course." As she dialled in the numbers, I turned to Takigawa.

"What should we do if he's not back for a while?"

"Well, I don't think there's much we can do. We'll just have to wait until he comes back, I guess." He lowered his voice. "He's been acting a bit…edgy recently."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, but it's like Mai-kun said. He and Lin-san keep on leaving without an explanation. The last time they did that, they were searching for a body."

I nodded. "At the abandoned house, Lin-san definitely seemed uneasy about leaving Kazuya-san by himself."

"Yeah." Takigawa glanced over at Mai, who was sounding frustrated. "Something's up, that's for sure."

With no warning, Mai slammed down the telephone. "That jerk!" She shouted.

"What's he done now?" Somehow, Yasuhara's tone was tired.

"He keeps on doing this! Just prancing off to who knows where without saying a word beforehand, then not telling when he'll be back!"

"What do you mean? He won't tell you?" Takigawa looked puzzled by this behaviour.

"He just says, 'I'll be back when I want, carry on looking after the office'." Mai glared at the phone as if Kazuya was still on the other end. "Why does he have to be so enigmatic and vague? Can't he give a clear answer for once?!"

"Well, what do you say we leave this boring place and go out? Go get a drink?" Takigawa made the suggestion quite suddenly.

"Um…" Mai faltered, unsure. She seemed torn between the options. "We should really be looking after the office…then again…you know what, ok. If you're buying." Whether it was just to relieve the boredom, or she wanted to get back at Kazuya, Mai looked happy at the idea.

"That depends. What exactly do you mean by 'drink'?" Yasuhara asked with an innocent tone.

"I'm not buying you alcohol, if that's what you want." Takgiawa replied bluntly. Shrugging his shoulders, Yasuhara stood up from the sofa and headed to the door.

"Well, I assume you're buying anyway. Let's go, I know a good place."

Mai followed him out of the door, stopping quickly to grab the office keys. As they went out, I turned to Takigawa, slightly bemused. But before I could even say a word, he answered my question.

"It'll be easier to ask questions when Mai's not in a bad mood." He explained.

"Ask questions?"

"Yeah. Ever since the case in the abandoned house, she's been suspicious about the circumstances surrounding the selling of the house."

A thought occurred. "Did…she have a dream?"

Takigawa nodded. "Yeah. She told me about it. Apparently, she saw the manager being given a whole load of money in return for the house. There was nothing normal about it, no deed or anything. Apparently just a tall, well-built man wearing black handed over a bag filled with money, and promised more to come."

I frowned. Well-built? The colleague was not particularly well-built, or even tall.

"That description doesn't sound like colleague-san…" I told him. "Maybe someone stepped in for him? He's careful, he probably wouldn't do something like that himself."

"Well, you see anyone who might be working for him? Did he mention anyone?" Takigawa asked.

At once, a name occurred. "…Saburou. When he talked to me, he mentioned someone called Saburou."

"Who is he?"

"He…" I faltered. "...After what colleague-san said, I think he was the one…who strangled me."

Takigawa inhaled sharply. Stifling his shock, he talked in a quieter voice, "…If that's the case, we need to be even more careful. We don't know how many people are working for this creep."

"When should we tell them?" I ask. "Mai-kun and Yasuhara-san?"

Takigawa bit his lip. "I'm not sure. Shouldn't we wait for Naru-kun to come back?"

"I'm uneasy about that. We don't know when he'll be back. It could be hours, it could be a full day or two. And the longer they don't know, I feel the more we're putting them at risk." It was hard to decide. On the one hand, if they became involved, the colleague might punish them. But what if the colleague tried to attack them anyway? At least if they knew the sitatuion, they would be…prepared in some way. The sooner they knew, the better.

After being ushered out of the office by an impatient Mai, Takigawa and I sat opposite each other in a busy café. Although the weather in Tokyo was meant to be fairly mild in April, and April was not even the wettest month, today the heavens had opened. Cars still persisted in lines of traffic, but with each change of the traffic lights, the amount was becoming less and less. The streets were now empty, despite being filled with people earlier on, as everyone took refuge in shops while the rain lashed down. Even above the noise of the customers in the café, I could easily hear the noise of rain against window. I watched as a flock of sodden pigeons took shelter underneath shop panes or benches, unable to fly from their water-logged wings. Only a crow, hopping along the pavement and snatching up the remaining pieces of discarded food, remained on the streets.

"Wow. You know, I don't often see the Tokyo streets empty." Takigawa remarked. He had given Mai and Yasuhara a wad of yen notes, allowing them to buy what they wanted. Now, the two of them stood in a long queue, waiting to order. From the way Takigawa kept on looking over at them uneasily, and counting the left-over money in his wallet, I think he was beginning to regret his decision of entrusting them with money.

"Really? Even in the winter?"

"Yeah, a lot of people still brave the weather in winter. Hey," he looked out of the window, then back at me swiftly. "You shouldn't stare at that crow for too long. Don't catch its eye or anything."

I frowned. "Why?"

"Don't you know? It's bad luck."

"Oh…" I was still unaccustomed to Japanese superstitions, since I was so used to the western variety.

"Don't you have that in Australia?"

I shook my head. "No. We have things like…don't walk under ladders, or break mirrors. 13 is an unlucky number, too."

"Oh." Takigawa pondered this. "I've heard that a bit, but generally for us, the numbers 4 and 9 are unlucky. 4 sometimes sounds like the word death, _shi_. 9 sounds like the word suffering, _ku_. They're both so unlucky, companies sometimes avoid using them."

Well, something made sense. "I always wondered…there's no room 9 or room 4 in the hospital."

Takigawa nodded. "It's the same in a few hotels, too. Oh, by the way…how come you're a doctor?"

"Oh, I'm not a doctor. I'm a nurse."

"Really?" He looked surprised.

"Yeah."

"I thought that there were rules about who could become doctors and nurses. Only people from the Philippines and Indonesia, right?"

"Yeah. Well…" I leaned in forwards. "Keep this a secret, ok?"

He smiled. "Ok. What is it?"

"Technically, I shouldn't really be working there. It's against regulations. Because I'm Australian."

"So how come you are?"

"Well, the hospital was apparently going through a crisis, where there was a shortage of nurses. More people were becoming doctors, but there weren't enough nurses. So, they were relying on foreigners instead. But apparently, people found that the examination for the Japanese that has to be learnt was too tricky. Not many people passed, not enough to solve the nurse shortage. Then a while back, I was having a conversation with someone who goes to Father Toujou's church, and I mentioned how I'm trained as a nurse back in Australia. It turned out that person actually worked here, and they recommended me. So, the hospital manager let me try the test, I passed, and he gave me a job."

"Really?" Takigawa looked even more surprised.

"Yeah. Not all of the doctors know – I have to say I was born in the Philippines – but a few of them do, and a lot of the nurses know."

"Don't the patients say anything?"

"Not really. When they do, I usually say I'm from the Philippines. If they ask about my appearance, I tell them I have an English parent. Not many people ask, though. I mean, if you're ill and you're getting treatment, then you're not really going to start complaining about things like the appearances of nurses, are you? Once, though, a health inspector came around for a surprise visit. No one knew beforehand, so I didn't know to stay off for that day. In the end, I was shoved in one of the janitor's cupboards until the inspector left."

Takigawa laughed. "Really? In the janitor's cupboard?"

"Yeah. Hey, what I've been wondering…how did you get into a band? You're a studio musician, right?"

"Umm…" Takigawa scratched his head. "Well…I like music. My sister really got me into it at an early age. So, when I went to college to study music, I met some other guys who were really interested in music too. And, I guess it kind of grew from there. My father was completely against it."

"How come?"

"Well, because my family owns the temple, he really wanted me to follow his footsteps. Become a monk, work at the temple. Things like that. He hated the idea of me becoming a musician. He even banned CDs at the temple to try and stop me from following it as a career. So I just left, instead. As soon as I could, I went to college. I mean, obviously I kept up with Buddhism and training and things like that, but I decided to pursue a music career instead of a religious one." He paused, and looked at me.

"What about you? Why did you become a nurse?"

"Well…I just like helping people, I guess. Medicine is really interesting, too, and I've always admired people who worked in hospitals, so I guess it was the most obvious career path."

"What about being a priest?"

"It was a similar situation to you, I guess. My father wanted me to be a priest, so I did. But he also wanted me to try and follow…a military career, you could say. I didn't want to, so I trained as a nurse. Then, because of some family reasons, I ended up moving to Japan, and I thought I wouldn't be able to become a nurse because of the foreign policy. It turned out I was wrong."

"So you had a pushy father too, huh?"

"Yeah. It's…frustrating, isn't it?"

"Definitely. Well, I know my father has accepted my decision. Sort of."

I smiled. "That's good."

As we talked, Takigawa's phone began to ring. Frowning, he took the mobile out of his pocket and, when he saw the caller, he scowled in irritation.

"Damn it." He looked up at me. "It's the singer from the band. The one I told you about." Sighing, he told me guiltily, "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to take this."

Begrudgingly, he pressed accept and began to speak.

"Hello? Yes, it's me…" At first, the conversation was fairly relaxed, but soon Takigawa was sounding more and more frustrated. Finally, he lowered the phone, putting his hand over the speaker, and said to me,

"I'm really sorry, but I think I'll have to take this somewhere more private."

"Oh, of course." Quickly, he stood up and walked from the table, starting to speak on the phone as he did so.

Now, I waited in silence, staring out of the window once more as the rain lashed down. The crow had long since flown away, giving up its scavenge and instead choosing shelter over food. The sound of the rain was somewhat comforting. I looked at the pavement, covered in water, and watched the rain drops hitting the surface. The ripples darted across the water, in a hypnotising fashion that I was unable to draw my eye away from. Regardless of everything, I found myself relaxing, perhaps for the first time since I got out of hospital. When my eyes grew heavy, I tried to wake myself up again. I couldn't just fall asleep in the middle of the café.

"_John!"_

_I turn around, scanning the crowd for who might be calling me. Today is the 6__th__ of December, and the snow has been falling gently down for a while. All around me, people are trekking through the thick layer that has formed on the pavements. Flocks of pigeons huddle together to shelter from the cold, while a lone crow bravely attempts to pick discarded food off the street. No one else seems too uncomfortable about the cold, but I am not used to this weather. My feet are beginning to lose all feeling, and my hands are raw from exposure. I only have myself to blame – my gloves are lost somewhere in my apartment. _

"_John!" The voice calls me again. Whoever it is, they aren't using an honorific. Maybe they aren't Japanese…?_

"_John! Nurse Brown!" _

_I recognise the voice, with the American accent. Finally, I see a man pushing his way through the crowd._

"_Kazuki?"_

_The American grins, while he tries to catch his breath. "You know…for a minute…I thought I'd gotten the wrong…person." He bends over, gasping for breath. "Then again…there aren't many people…around here…with the whole…Aryan look…going on…"He speaks between each inhale._

"_I didn't realise at first, that it was you calling me. Where were you?"_

_Still breathing heavily, he points wildly in no certain direction._

"_A while back." He wheezes._

"_Um, are you ok?" I watch him with concern. His breathing sounds ragged and painful._

"_Yeah." He straightens up, but immediately grabs my shoulder for support. Quickly, he pulls out an inhaler and breathes deeply, before continuing. _

"_I have asthma. Pretty badly, my lungs are very weak. I have to be careful around bonfires and barbeques and things like that."_

"_Oh, that's…well, a shame, for one thing."_

"_Yeah, to say the least. I almost died from it once."_

"_Really? Are you ok now?" He smiles at my apprehension._

"_I'm fine, honestly. I mean, running sets it off, but it's only thick smoke I have to worry about."_

"_What happened this time?"_

"_I saw you, and I didn't want to miss you, so I ran."_

"_You ran? For me?"_

"_Yeah. I wanted to thank you. You made my hospital visit a lot more interesting. I got a bit lonely without anyone to talk to."_

"_Oh, don't worry about it. Anyway, how have you been holding up?"_

"_Absolutely fine, there were no complications after the surgery or anything like that." He smiles, abashed. "Watching where I step, though."_

_I laugh. "I would hope so. It's still icy."_

_In response to this, he grins mischievously. "Enjoying the snow then, mate?" He imitates my accent, badly. I ignore it, and reply, _

"_I guess it's pretty. But I think it should be less cold. I'm not used to cold."_

"_Is cold just a myth too, down under?"_

_He persists with the accent, so I tell him, _

"_We don't sound like that."_

"_You do." He insists._

"_Anyway, if you call Australia 'down under' while you're there, you'll probably get beaten up."_

_He raises an eye brow. "Really?"_

"_You'd be surprised. People get tired of the stereotypes and things like that."_

"_I'll consider that before I ask if you wrestle crocodiles."_

"_That would be wise."_

_He notices my hands. "Where are your gloves? Your hands are white."_

"_Lost."_

_He takes them in his own hands, which are protected by thick gloves. The warmth from his hands is comforting, and he rubs them together to try and bring life back into them._

"_Thanks. They're absolutely freezing." I tell him. He looks slightly concerned. _

"_You should wrap up more, you know." He pulls me closer to him. With his thick coat, I can feel his warmth on my own frozen skin. _

"_God, you really are freezing." He puts an arm around my shoulder. _

"_Hey, you want to go somewhere a bit warmer? Maybe go get some coffee or something? Instead of staying out here and catching hypothermia."_

_Right now, with the cold gnawing away at me, it doesn't sound like a bad idea._

"_I'll pay." He adds quickly._

"…_Ok." I agree to his request. "But…maybe don't do the accent again."_

_He grins. "Ok."_

I snapped awake. Yasuhara was resting his head against the table, startlingly close to me.

"You don't look like you're 20." He remarked casually. Briefly, my surroundings confused me as I tried to process what was real and what had been a memory.

"W-what?" I looked around. Takigawa had returned from his phone call. Mai was carrying a tray with coffee cups, watching Yasuhara with a bemused expression.

"You look like you're the same age as me." Yasuhara went on. "Have you ever been forced to show your ID or something?"

"Uh…" All I could think of was about Kazuki. Before, he had just been a vague memory. Now, he looked so familiar. I had seen him before, I knew it. But where?

"Sometimes." I rubbed my eyes. How long had I been asleep?

"Oh, leave him, Yasuhara-kun." Mai placed the tray down, and sat opposite me. "Are you ok? You fell asleep."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired. Sorry about that."

Takigawa sat down next to me. "Don't worry about it." Hushed, and asked, "Did you…you know…"

I nodded. "Not much."

"What was that phone call about, Bou-san?" Mai spoke up suddenly, and her tone was suspicious.

"Oh, one of the band members was just asking about something. Someone was asking around about me, apparently, and he was a bit edgy about it. Nothing much."

"Really?" Mai swirled the liquid in her cup around with a stirrer. "Well, it's just…we were wondering something. Yasu-kun and I."

"What's on your mind?"

Mai said nothing, so Yasuhara spoke up instead. "We heard you two talking. In the office. About a man called Saburou."

"And my dream." Mai interrupted. "And the abandoned house. And that there was something you wanted to tell us."

She stared at us, waiting for an answer. Glancing at Takigawa, I began to speak.

"You know I said…I was in a car accident?"

"You were in a car accident?" It seemed that no one had told Yasuhara.

"Well…I wasn't really in a car accident."

"What?!" Mai looked shocked. "Then-then what happened? Why did you lie to us? I never thought you'd lie to us! Naru-kun, sure, but you?!

"The thing is, I can't remember. I have amnesia."

This stunned Mai into silence.

"Earlier this month, I woke up in hospital, and I have no idea what happened the previous month. But I do know that…" Swiftly, I looked around me. He was nowhere to be seen.

"…I've been…stalked…by a man. I don't know his name. I just know him as the colleague. And now, he's planning to…punish me. I don't know why, but it's something to do with what happened last month. I'm sure of it. And whatever happened, I'm sure it's connected to the abandoned house."

No one said anything for a while. At last, Yasuhara spoke up, with a calmness that seemed to ease the situation.

"So, this abandoned house you mentioned…Mai-kun, you had a dream about that, right?"

Mai nodded. "Yeah, about someone buying the house from the estate manager."

"I heard you had a case at this house. What exactly happened?"

Back at the office, Mai rooted through files and papers as she searched for the information on the abandoned house case. After a few minutes, she emerged from behind the desk holding a paper-back folder.

"Just in case we missed anything." She passed it to Yasuhara, who began to read the papers.

As he read, she turned to me. "Did you tell the police about any of this?"

"Yes, but they won't believe me. I think he might have bribed or blackmailed them."

"And you think that this…colleague-san bought the house?"

"It's a definite possibility." I thought back to Ayako's remark. "It's like what Ayako-san said. If you're going to buy a house, why would you buy one filled with spirits? And the spirits were calling for help. There's something very wrong with that place. I'm not sure what." An idea, a speculation, was hovering at the back of my mind. Yet it was such a terrible, terrible thing…I didn't want to acknowledge it as a possibility. Not until we had ruled out every other alternative.

"You know what? I think we should go over there." Mai suggested suddenly.

Takigawa frowned. "Isn't that trespassing?"

"Who cares?" Mai shrugged. "There are a lot of spirits there, and they're unable to move on. I think we should at least try and help them to do that."

"I'm not so sure." The idea made me uneasy. "What if…I don't know, it could be dangerous. If colleague-san has something to do with this, then he might react badly if we went over there."

"But what can he do to us? Kill us?"

When I said nothing, and Mai looked at my grim expression, her argument waned slightly.

"Really?"

"He killed someone who works at the hospital. And he has this fear of…being vulnerable. I don't know how to phrase it, really, but he talked about it briefly. That he 'didn't like being vulnerable'. The way he said it, and how he looked when he did…as soon as things start getting out of hand, or he thinks that we're getting too close to the truth, he'll react badly. So we have to be careful."

At this point, Yasuhara had finished reading the papers. He walked over to us, the folder still in his hands.

"Actually, I think Mai's suggestion is not entirely reckless." He told me. "The two of us are students. If anything were to happen to us, people would start asking questions."

"He knows that." I explain. "He stages it like an accident, so no one asks questions."

"Even so, the death of two students would gain a lot of media attention, through one way or another. And I doubt even this colleague-san would be able to prevent that. Investigations would be made, even if he did bribe or blackmail the police, like you think. If he's clever enough, which I assume he is, he will think twice before trying to do away with us so quickly. Besides, we're students. Other students went to the house, right? And nothing bad has happened to them. If he sees us at the house, he'll just assume we're, I don't know, just some teenagers with nothing better to do."

"Shouldn't we at least wait until Lin-san gets back? Won't that be safer?" Lin was good in a fight, so if anything went wrong, at least he would be there.

"If we travel in too big of a group, then we'll get conspicuous."

His argument was compelling. Maybe we could go there, and it would be ok. I would seriously doubt if colleague-san was watching over the place personally, and even if he had left someone else to watch over the house, I wouldn't think that they would pay us much attention. Nonetheless, I could not shake the feeling of anxiety inside me.

"Well, do we at least have any more information about the house?" I tried to sway the choice of action in a different direction.

"Information will be easier to find if we visit the place." Yasuhara refused to be persuaded.

In the end, I reluctantly agreed to visit the abandoned house once more. Takigawa seemed uncomfortable with the idea, but he agreed too. Even so, he protested each step of the way. As he drove us in his car, a small four-doored car, he frequently asked Mai and Yasuhara,

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"It'll be fine, Bou-san. Honestly." Mai reassured him each time, although Takigawa was still unconvinced.

At last, we arrived at the house. There was nothing much different about it, compared to last time. A fence hadn't been made, no protective techniques. The only thing different was a new sign, sticking out of the grass.

'TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED'.

"You know, if this colleague guy doesn't want anyone coming into the house, he hasn't done much about it, has he?" Yasuhara opened the car door and stepped out.

"Maybe he doesn't want to be too defensive about it." Takigawa stepped out as well, and faced the house, his hands behind his head.

Mai got out the car too, as did I. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"The fact the house has even been bought, what with all the spirits and the bad construction, has caused enough conjecture, and putting up a 10 foot electric fence or something would only increase that further."

"Oh, I get you."

I observed the building, my eyes straining for anything new or unusual. So far, nothing seemed particularly different. There was no sign of anyone around, no sign of life or otherwise. No security cameras on the wall, not even a small fence or even a warning tape blocking the entrance. Apart from the sign, that was it.

"This doesn't look too bad. Let's go in." Yasuhara began walking to the door. Mai swallowed, exhaled, and renewed her determination.

"Yeah, let's go." She followed him eagerly.

"Wait a second!" Takigawa called after them. However, they just turned around and beckoned to us.

"They're pretty eager, aren't they?" He commented as we followed hesitantly.

"I thought they'd be more…cautious." I had to agree with him.

"Maybe they've just been bored." Takigawa suggested. "All Mai-kun has been doing is revising for exams, and Yasuhara-san has been helping. There have been no cases since we left this house, apparently, and Naru-kun keeps on wandering off somewhere, so I wouldn't blame them for wanting to do something more interesting. Just to get it all out of their systems."

"I guess…" Still, it seemed a bit…extreme, almost, to dive head first into a potentially dangerous situation.

Now we were at the door step. No one had stopped us, no one had even appeared. Living person or spirit. It did nothing to ease my anxiety – if anything, it set me further on edge.

Yasuhara took the door handle, and pushed the door gently. It was not locked; it swung wide open, with a long, dramatic creak that made Mai shiver and fold her arms tightly around her.

"This place still creeps me out after last time." She stepped tentatively through the door. "With all the whispering and the scratching and everything. Do you think that will happen again?"

"I hope not." Takigawa replied bluntly.

Inside the house, it was cold. Colder than outside. Immediately, we were wary.

"There are spirits here." Takigawa breathed, his words coming out with a snatch of condensation. "There has to be."

"Was it this cold last time?" Again, Yasuhara remained collected.

"Only when the spirits appeared." I told him.

"So, they might appear?"

"I wouldn't be surprised." The house was deathly quiet. All I could hear was the sound of our breathing, the sound of our clothes brushing together with each movement. Not even the floor creaked. It was so quiet, and yet each noise seemed amplified and deafening. Somehow, this made an inexplicable panic rise inside me. It wormed through me, making me feel agitated and terrified at the same time. Finally, I could bear it no more, and spoke up,

"I'm going to look upstairs." The idea was not a productive one; just a desperate excuse to break the silence.

"Should I go with you?" Takigawa suggested, looking at me with concern. "You look a bit pale."

"Oh, I'm fine." It was a blatant lie. "But if we're here, we might as well start looking for anything that might help us."

"…Ok." Takigawa glanced up the stairs. "Just…be careful, ok?"

"Don't worry, I will be."

As soon as I was out of sight, up the stairs, I found myself almost collapsing with exhaustion. What had come over me? What was wrong with me? I leant against a wall, trying to gain breath that I had lost without even realising. Nausea overwhelmed me. What was wrong with me? I asked the question over and over in my head. Ever since I had gotten out of the hospital, I had been…different. The smallest thing would spook me completely. I felt like I was constantly on defence. When people walked too close to me on the street, I would get nervous. When someone was too loud at the hospital, it made me jump. Thinking back, when Ayako and Takigawa had been fighting during the case, Mai had remarked that I had suddenly become pale. And whenever Takigawa placed his hand on my shoulder, I would tense, as if I thought he was going to attack me. Why did all these things, things that no one would pay any attention to, make me so…scared? And even now, I was fretting over the fact that the house was quiet, and over the smallest of noises that suddenly seemed so loud. What was wrong with me? No, that wasn't the question. My hand played with the bandage on my neck. What had Doctor Nakumura said?

…_You have been severely beaten, Brown-san. Severely beaten. Your skin shows ligature marks, and several other signs of…abuse…_

The mark on my neck did not appear by accident. Ligature marks did not appear for no reason. The real question was, who had done this to me? And what had they done that had turned me into such a nervous wreck?

After calming myself, I stepped away from the wall. It was a bad idea to stay near walls, I had decided, after the case with Urado. Masako and Mai certainly felt that way, I knew. Instead, I walked carefully into a room, which was probably once a bedroom. Although the floor boards sunk ever so slightly beneath my foot, it made no sound. The door moved back and forth, presumably from a draft, yet this time made no noise like the main door. In the room, the dust on the floor was upturned and disturbed, unlike the thick blanket that coated the door and window panes. Someone had been in here. At once, my eye was drawn to a single pencil on the floor. Picking it up, I realised it was a coloured art pencil. That girl, Yumi…apparently, she and her friends had been here for an art project. Maybe they had left it here. They had left here in a hurry, after hearing the whispers, so it would make sense if they had left some of their art equipment behind. In the corner, I saw an unopened bottle of beer. Yumi had mentioned going to get alcohol, so that made sense as well. Apart from that, the room was empty. There was no point staying here, so I turned around to leave.

And there he was. Standing still, watching me. Completely silent.

The man from the screens stood in the middle of the room. This time, I could see him clearer. And this time, I began to recognise who he was. His clothes were covered in black soot and splashes of red. A dirty lab coat. This was the man from the burning building, the man who had led me out and died swiftly thereafter.

But there was more. And as we watched each other, quiet and calm, the realisation came crashing over me. I knew who this was. Part of me didn't want it to be true. But I knew the name of this man. I recognised him.

He did not say anything for a moment, and then he spoke up. His language was English.

"It was unlucky, I guess." I knew that accent. That American accent. "That the asthmatic ended up in a burning building. It did my lungs no good at all. Maybe if they hadn't been so weak, I wouldn't have died."

The man from the screens, the man from the burning building…

His name was Kazuki Brooks.


	14. Chapter 14: Conversation

**(A/N): To make up for the long wait, I've made another chapter as quickly as I could. Thanks for reading!**

* * *

At first, he smiled.

"I wanted to see you." He spoke softly. "Now I finally can."

All I could do was stare, reeling with shock. Kazuki was here. Kazuki had been at the burning building. Kazuki was dead. Yet I felt no sadness…just a hollow feeling inside of me, some vacant hole where my grief should have been. A strange emptiness. I should have been sad, but I did not know why.

For a second, panic was etched into Kazui's face. "You…do remember me?"

"Kazuki Brooks." When I said his name, the panic washed away quicker than a stain by water.

"You were a patient." I went on. "And we met on the streets. In the snow."

He smiled, but his eyes hid a sadness. "Sometimes I wonder, if I had missed you, out there on the streets, among that huge crowd of people…things might have turned out differently."

"What do you mean?"

As he opened his mouth to speak, I heard the sound of footsteps. Yasuhara appeared at the door way.

"Hey, Brown-san, you ok?" He peered in, looking around. His gaze moved past Kazuki, and I realised that, once more, only I could see him.

"Yea, I'm fine. There's nothing really in this room, but I think those teenagers might have been in here at some point."

"Oh, ok. I'm just going to check in some of the other rooms. Bou-san and Mai-kun are out around the back."

The second he left, I turned to Kazuki.

"I don't understand, why can't he see you?"

"He's not scared." His answer failed to enlighten me.

"What?"

"He's not scared." Kazuki repeated himself. "But you are. Deep down. It's a survival instinct you can't get rid of. A terror buried inside of that you're not even aware of. Fear. The others are cautious, yes, but their fear is not the same as yours."

"Why fear? Why do you have to be afraid to see…" I stopped myself from saying 'the spirits. "…you all?"

"Because we are too."

They were afraid too? "Why are you afraid?"

"Hey!" Someone was calling, halting our conversation. It sounded like Yasuhara. "Brown-san, come here for a second!"

Slowly and begrudgingly, I began to leave the room. At the door, I paused and turned around to Kazuki. He was following me.

As we walked down the hallway, I spoke quietly.

"…How did you die?"

"I thought you knew that. Can't you remember?"

"No, I meant…why were you at that burning building?"

Kazuki frowned. "I'd rather not talk about that."

I bit my lip. "Why was I there, then?"

"I'd rather not talk about that either."

We entered the room where Yasuhara's voice had originated from. The first thing to catch my eye was a pile of lumber, half covered by a collection of dusty sheets in the middle of the room. Next to it, Yasuhara was crouched on the floor.

"What is it?" There was no point in telling Yasuhara about the spirit, not if he couldn't see him. If I told him about Kazuki, it would not change that fact. We were not trying to exorcise him, and Kazuki posed no threat to anyone. What's more, this felt…personal.

"I think there's a trap door or something underneath here."

"What?!" I knelt down beside him. "How can you tell?"  
"Look. I noticed that these sheets," he gestured to them, "didn't have any dust on them, or rather the layer was a lot thinner than anything else on the pile. So I moved it, and you can see the lumber underneath has been moved around." He was right – while most of it was in neat stacks, a few were disarrayed. On the floor, a series of scratches were clear against the wood, presumably where the lumber had been dragged across the floor.

"And if you look closely…" He pointed to the floor underneath the lumber. Where his finger was, I could make out a strange indentation. It ran in the wrong direction to the grain of the wooden floor boards.

"…the wood looks like it's separate." He finished. "I mean, it could just be a crack or something, but I doubt it."

"Well, we'll have to move all this lumber before we can be sure." Standing up, I told him, "I'll go and get Takigawa-kun, it'll be easier with his help."

Hurrying down the stairs, I stopped short and looked around me wildly. Where had Kazuki gone?

"Kazuki?" I whispered his name.

"Yeah?" Jumping, I whirled around to his voice. Kazuki stood with his hands in his pockets, looking amused.

"Where did you go?"

"Nowhere, really. I'm dead. It's not like I can go anywhere."

"Wait, are you bound to this specific location?"

"We all are. Otherwise, we wouldn't stay in this hell-hole. It has bad memories for us, I think."

"How so?"

"You sure are inquisitive, huh?" He avoided my question, so I repeated myself.

"Why does this place have bad memories for you all?"

"You've got to be careful, John. Remember the phrase 'curiosity killed the cat'? It's the same as last time, you're the cat."

Same as last time? What did he mean? Stifling my impatience, I asked one last time,

"Why does this place have bad memories for you?"

Finally, he succumbed to my persistence.

"Honestly, I don't know. Whatever happened here, it doesn't matter. The fact is, we all had a lot of pent up feelings when we died. Bad feelings. Fear. Anger. Despair. Pain. _Regret_." Somehow, the last word had the most emphasis. "And those feelings stay with us. They fester inside us the longer we stay here. They grow, until we don't know why we're here, we don't know who we are. We don't even know why we're angry. There are so many of us, the negative feelings just….merge together. All we know is what is happening around us, and all we can think of are these negative feelings. Soon, even present events just…disappear from our understanding. We remain here, a swirling mass of emotions with no memories, just pain and fear."

I swallowed. "Not-not everyone here is like that though, right? I mean, you're here. You remember things."

"Right." He nodded. "Only those who were here the longest are like that. There are still those who remember things, some who even understand why we are so angry and scared. But those who are already lost…they're like a magnet. They draw you in and enhance your fear, until it grows and begins to eat away at your mind and your memories. All you can do is cling onto the good memories you have, it slows the process. That's why I wanted to see you."

I faltered. "What?"

"Your friend is waiting." He swiftly evaded any questions. "You'd better go fetch the monk."

Frowning, I nodded. "Ok. But I'm not finished with my questions."

"Fine." I began walking, and Kazuki followed me again.

"Who are you to me? Exactly? I remember some things, but not everything. I have amnesia."

He nodded in understanding. "Ok. Well, I guess you could say we were friends. Pretty close friends."

I frowned. "Wait…do you mean…?"

He smiled. "Not that close, no. But we became close in a short amount of time."

"How?"

"Well, it wasn't much at first. You know, just acquaintances. But, I don't know…I guess similar cultures played a part. It's exhausting, living in a country so different to your own. So when you meet someone with a similar culture, suddenly you seem to…connect more. It feels safer."

We reached the outside of the house, where the sky was dark and heavy. A few drops of rain spat at my face, while the wind drifted slowly across the field, tugging at the grass. Closer than I expected, Mai and Takigawa stood looking up at the house.

"Hey!" I called to them. "Yasuhara-san thinks he's found something!"

"What is it?" The two of them walked over. Neither of them noticed Kazuki.

"He thinks it's a trap door, but there's a load of lumber in the way."

"You talked about him." Kazuki's sudden dialogue disorientated me for a moment. "The monk. You talked about everyone at Shibuya Psychic Research."

I did not dare say anything. Instead, Takigawa began to speak, oblivious.

"We were hoping to see a spirit out here, like those hikers, but so far we've seen nothing." He walked back into the house, and Mai began to follow him. At the door, though, she stopped abruptly.

"You ok?" I asked as she looked around her, puzzled.

"Uh, yeah…um…I just thought I heard…no, never mind." She swiftly continued walking again.

In the room, Yasuhara was still crouched by the pile of lumber.

"Hey. I'm certain there's a trap door under here now, I don't know what else it could be."

"Well, let's move all this." At once, Takigawa began to move the lumber.

"Yeah, you do that." Yasuhara stepped back quickly.

"Hey, I can't do it by myself! This stuff's heavy."

"Well…" He looked at me slyly. "Brown-san, I'm sure you don't mind helping, do you?"

"No, I'll help." Immediately, I set to work.

"You really are a push over. The definition of one." Kazuki watched me, sitting on the floor next to the lumber pile.

I ignored him, so he went on. "You shouldn't let people take advantage of you so easily. If you don't want to do something, then say so."

The lumber was heavy, and there was a lot more covering the possible trap door then we had originally estimated. However, we were moving it at a steady rate.

"So…this is fun. Does the monk here know you've been talking to me?" When I did not answer his question, he continued. "Oh, come on. Talk to me. Being dead isn't as exciting as it sounds. It's a bit of a downer, really. I mean, you can't eat or drink or anything, for starters. I kind of miss coffee."

I almost laugh in disbelief, but I stopped myself quickly. No one noticed.

"I remember, the second time we met, we had coffee. And you forgot your gloves and scarf because apparently Australians don't understand the meaning of 'cold' and 'wrap up warm'."

I gave him a look, and mouthed the word, "Stereotypes."

He smiled. "Oh yeah. I guess one of the key parts of making friends is not to make fun of their country."

He looked down at the floor briefly. When he raised his head again, his expression had saddened.

"I shouldn't know. I had no friends. Before I met you, I literally had no friends. You were my only one."

His confession made me stop temporarily. I stared at him, concerned. It struck me how lonely it must be. If what he said was true, then he was completely alone. Did he have any family? I could not remember anyone visiting him when he was at the hospital. No family members rang. What if he had no family? No one would grieve his death. There was no record of his existence any longer, not even at the hospital. And the one person who was supposed to be his friend did not feel particularly sad. For the one person who was supposed to be his friend could barely remember him.

"John-kun, you ok?" Takigawa must have noticed my pause.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just…lost in thought."

At last, we had moved most of the lumber away. Just like Yasuhara had predicted, a perfect square was on the floor, with hinges on one side and a handle on the other. There was not a speck of dust in place, only a series of long scratches across the surface. The metal hinges were flaking with rust, and the handle was worn and on the verge of breaking. What was down there? Something important?

Then again…it had not been too hard to find. If there was something very important down there, something that the colleague wanted to hide, then surely it would be better hidden? Not covered by a pile of lumber? The colleague was careful, and making the trap door so easy to find made me suspicious. If you were specifically looking for something, like Yasuhara had been, then the trap door was quite noticeable. Would there be something important down there? Or was it just a trick, to throw us off? Or worse?

Takigawa knelt down by the trap door, and tried to lift it. At first, it did not budge. But suddenly, it opened jerkily, the hinges screeching and the wood straining. Opening it wide, he peered in. It was completely black down there, but I could see a ladder leading down into the darkness.

"So…" Yasuhara crouched down next to Takigawa. "Who want to go first?"

"Don't go down there." Kazuki spoke up suddenly. His voice was clearly anxious.

"What?" Despite myself, I spoke up.

"I said, who wants to go first?" Yasuhara repeated himself, assuming I had misheard him.

"Are you sure we should go down there?" Mai stared into the darkness warily. "We don't even have flash lights."

"Yeah…I don't think we should." I agreed with her quickly. "It could be dangerous."

"Don't worry, I brought some flash lights." Yasuhara took one from his bag and threw it to Takigawa.

"Don't let them go down there." Kazuki repeated himself firmly.

"Really, I don't think we should go down there." I told them. "I mean, that trap door wasn't too hard to find, was it? What if it's a trick?"

"Look, I'm sure it will be fine, John-kun." Takigawa tried to reassure me, but I shook my head.

"Please listen to me. I don't think it's a good idea." At my insistence, Takigawa frowned at me.

"Why? Why don't you think it's a good idea?"

"Look, it's just a feeling I have. It was too easy finding this trap door. Colleague-san wouldn't be so careless."

Takigawa pursed his lips. "You have a point there…Hey, how about we do this?" He turned on the flash light and shone the beam of light down the trap door.

"Well? Do you see anything?" Mai shuffled near the trap door.

"Ummm…wait. Wait a second." Takigawa narrowed his eyes. "There's something down there."

"What is it?" I neared the trap door as close as I dared. Almost out of sight, some kind of bag had been discarded at the bottom.

"Look, we need to go down there. See what it is." Takigawa told me his decision, almost apologetically.

"But –"

"Look, I want you to stay up here. If something happens, if anyone comes here, we'll be completely exposed down there. So I want you to be up here, just in case anything does happen. And Mai-kun, you stay up here too."

"I'll come down with you." Yasuhara volunteered.

"You really shouldn't be doing this, it's not a good idea." I pleaded once more, but it was too late. They had made up their mind.

"It'll be fine. We'll just take a quick look around, we won't be long." Takigawa was already climbing down the ladder, flash light in his hand.

I watched them, and the dread inside me was rapidly increasing. Looking over at Kazuki, he appeared fearful as well. This was a bad idea, a very bad idea.

"This is bad." Kazuki echoed my apprehension. "Go to the front door. Stay out of sight, but you have to look out for anyone coming."

"What?" I breathed. Mai was too nervous, watching Takigawa and Yasuhara descend into the darkness, to notice me speaking.

"When they go down there, an alarm will be triggered. Your presence will be noticed. Someone will be sent to see who would be here. If they see _you_…it will be bad."

"Why didn't you tell me before? I could have tried harder to stop them!" I whispered. Mai, this time hearing me, turned and asked in confusion,

"What did you say? Did you say something in English?"

"Um, look, it doesn't matter. I'm just going to wait by the front door, in case anyone comes. Is that ok?"

Mai nodded uncertainly. "Uh…ok."

Sitting on the base of the stairs, I watched the outside road through a window next to the door frame. So far, no one had appeared. Kazuki stood behind me.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" I could speak more openly now. "I should have –"

"Their minds were already set. It was too late, anyway. Now that I remember it, opening the trap door itself probably set off the alarm too. It would be quicker to just let them get on with their search, so you can leave quicker."

I let out a shaky breath. "…How do you know all this?"

"I saw them install it."

"Who?"

"Some bad people. Like I said, when these people see you, hell will break loose. If they do come, remember that hiding yourself is the top priority. If the others are seen, they'll probably just get yelled at for being here, maybe threatened with a call to 110. But they'll react a lot worse if they see you."

"Ok…" I tried to calm myself. Kazuki sat down next to me.

"Look." He smiled gently. "It's going to be fine. You'll have time to leave before anyone comes."

"…Why…you said I was your only friend." I needed to know something. "Why did you save me? Was that the real reason? Why did you save me at the building and not yourself, when you knew the smoke could kill you?"

He sighed, and looked down at the floor again. "…Like I said, you were my only friend. Not because I was a horrible person, or socially awkward or whatever. I pushed everyone away. You see, I had a secret. A big, terrible secret. A heavy burden that I could barely live with. So anyone who tried to be close to me was pushed away. Whether it was a mere acquaintance or a good friend, I pushed them away. No one in my family is alive. So I was God damn lonely. And then you came along. Something about you was different to everyone else. Maybe it was the way you were so…nice. I hadn't experienced that in a while." He laughed. "Or maybe it was the way I felt like you wouldn't judge me…that I could open up to you. Just like how you opened up to me. We shared a lot of personal things, you and I."

He looked at me, and his pastel eyes were earnest. "But most of all…I think it was…you were just as lonely as me."

His words struck me. Something inside me suddenly felt…different. Everything was so tragic. He had shared things with me, shared secrets, and I had with him. But I could remember nothing. And now…I felt sad. That was it. A grief had been born inside of me. And it felt too late to express that sadness. Kazuki was long dead, and I had not shed a tear at his death.

"But listen to me, ok?" His tone became serious. "You need to leave."

"What?"

"Leave Japan. Go back to Australia. Hell, go somewhere he won't expect you to be."

"Who? The colleague?"

Kazuki laughed bitterly. "Is that what he calls himself?"

"Kazuki, I can't just leave. He'll come after me. You know that."

He sighed. "But you can't stay. Look, you've got to stop asking questions. Stop digging into this mess. The only reason you're not dead, you haven't ended up like me, is because he's taking pleasure from your fear and uncertainty. As soon as he feels you're getting too close, he'll drop the sadism and he'll kill you. Or something worse."

"I have no choice. He's going to kill me either way. He told me so. The only way I can stop all this is by finding out what happened."

Kazuki fell silent as he considered this. "…Ok. Fine. But you have to be careful. Be careful who you trust. I'm guessing it's the monk you're confiding in?"

I nodded, so he continued. "Well, I know he seems like a nice guy and all, but you'll be surprised how quickly 'the colleague' can change people. You shouldn't trust whole heartedly in him, unless you're positive you can trust him."

"Don't worry. I can." I reassured him. It was the single thing I was confident about.

Then I heard it. The sound of a car engine.

Outside the window, a car pulled up on the road. A white van. Already, I felt panic rise up in me.

"Shit." Kazuki's eyes widened. "You have to go. Go hide. Now."

I stood up, but then I noticed it. Kazuki was beginning to fade away, flickering like a dying light.

"Kazuki? What's happening? Why are you…disappearing?"

"My time's up. I can't stay when they're around." With each flicker, he remained invisible for longer.

"What do you mean? Why can't you stay?"

"When they're around, it messes with me. Look, I can't explain it. There's no time."

"Kazuki…" I didn't want him to leave. There were still so many questions I needed to ask, for one thing. And…what if it was the last time I saw him? It didn't feel right that this should be the last time.

"There's no time for goodbye. Go. Go tell the others, and then go hide."

And then he was gone. I stood, dazed for a moment. Then the sound of voices spurred me back into movement.

Running up the stairs, I ran back into the room where the others were. Now, Takigawa and Yasuhara were climbing out of the trap door.

"We have to hide. Now." My heart was pounding hard.

"Why? What is it?" Takigawa was carrying a black duffle bag.

"Someone's here. They've just parked outside. We need to hide now."

"Are you –" Before he could ask again, I interrupted him.

"Look, we have to hide now. This is bad. Please. We need to hide."

Takigawa hesitated, then nodded. "Ok. We'll hide. But where?"

"Um…" My mind raced. "…Outside. Out around the back. If worse comes to worse, we can run away more easily at that point."

"Ok. Come on, let's be quiet."

Quickly, we headed down the stairs, Takigawa in the lead. Not even half way down came the sound I had been dreading – someone at the front door.

"Wait wait wait." I grabbed Takigawa's sleeve. "Stop. There's no time. We've got to hide up here."

Immediately, we dashed up the stairs again. Takigawa ushered Mai and Yasuhara into what must have been an old bedroom. A frail bed draped with sheets was in the corner. Glancing downstairs, I could see that the door was opening.

"Hide in here, under that bed." Takigawa whispered to the two of them. Then he grabbed me, and we ran down the landing. At the far end, I could see a laundry closet.

"In, we'll hide in here." Takigawa pushed me inside first, and then slipped in too, closing the door quietly but firmly behind him. The closet, only two metres in width, was filled with folded sheets, coated in cobwebs, and a variety of planks and old tools. Downstairs, I could hear voices.

"Hello?...Is anybody here?" A sweet, honeyed voice called up from the front door. It made the hairs on the back of my neck raise up.

Takigawa grabbed a rotting plank and jarred it beneath the door handle.

"There's a car parked out front," The voice went on. It was a man's voice. "I'm pretty sure someone's here." He called in a singsong voice. I retreated into the furthest corner of the closet, tugging at Takigawa's sleeve. He backed away as well.

Footsteps came up the stairs. "All I want to do is talk. Have a little chit chat." The footsteps stopped outside the closet door.

"A nice, civil conversation." His voice was very near now. And panic coursed through me as I realised that I knew this voice. It belonged to the man with the gun at the burning building.

There was a pause, and then the handle slowly began to turn.

"Hm. Curious." The handle turned some more. "This door shouldn't lock. Maybe it's jammed."

There was a pause. Then the closet door banged loudly. The plank almost became dislodged. Despite the need for silence, I inhaled sharply, so Takigawa clamped his hand across my mouth.

"…Hm. Maybe it will take more than a kick to unjam." Oh God, had he heard me?

Another voice called from further down the landing.

"Come on, it's probably just some teenagers who came here to make out or something. They'll have buggered off at our arrival."

"What about the car?"

"I wouldn't worry about that, it's just a cheapskate scrap of metal." I saw Takigawa frown. "I'm guessing they've only just learnt how to drive."

"Hm…" The man sounded uncertain.

"What? You think someone's in there?"

"Give me a second." The handle rattled one last time.

Then the man began to hum a tune with a strange, jarring melody. It was one I had heard before. The colleague had sung it. This time, though, something was different. My whole body became paralysed. My breathing and heart beat sped up. My hands began to tremble. Why was I reacting like I was scared? I was not – it was just a simple tune. Why was my body reacting this way? It was an automatic reaction. Now, I was on the verge of speaking, unwillingly. It was some defence tactic, one that I didn't understand. Why was I doing this? I needed to stay silent. Our life could depend on it. Yet my brain, my body, they had other ideas.

Takigawa clamped his hand tighter around my mouth, and wrapped an arm around my chest. I tried to regain control over my body. You have to be quiet. You have to be completely quiet. No speaking, no movements. Just complete silence.

The man outside paused for a second.

"…There's no one in here." Relief overwhelmed me. "My mistake."

"Come on, let's go."

"I was planning to get my bag. I think I left it down the trap door the last time we came here."

"Sorry, but I am not moving all that lumber onto it afterwards. God damn pain."

"Has the lumber been moved? It must have been."

"Yeah, but no one's here. Come on, let's go. We've got a job to do instead of wasting our time here."

"…Ok. Let's go." Footsteps led away from the laundry closet. Down the stairs they went.

Then the front door creaked, and they were gone.


	15. Chapter 15: Race

**(A/N): Ok this is just annoying now I can't believe this. So at the beginning of the summer holidays, I thought, "Yay I'm going to have so much time to write my fanfiction and update it!" But I've just spent the past two weeks in some holiday homes, and my parents failed to tell me that THERE WAS NO WIFI AT ALL WHATSOEVER so while I could still write I just haven't been able to update. I can't apologise enough, especially after I promised I would be quicker with my updates. I am very annoyed about it, and I'm so sorry you've had such a long wait. I really am so, so sorry.**

* * *

At long last, after what felt like an eternity, Takigawa removed the wooden plank from underneath the door handle, and we climbed out the laundry closet. By now, I think we had both managed to calm our nerves.

"That…was too close." Takigawa was still breathing hard. "Way too close."

"Let's leave. Before they come back." I did not know if they would – after all, one man had mentioned a 'job' that needed to be completed – but I was not going to risk it.

"Bou-san! John-kun!" Mai bounded out from the bedroom she had been hiding in, with Yasuhara following quickly behind. At least they were ok.

"Are you two ok?" Yasuhara asked us, looking at us anxiously.

"Oh my gosh, who were they? One of those men came in here! I don't think he saw us, but who were they?" She frowned. "And that guy…what was he singing?"

"We'll think about that later, we need to go now." Takigawa began to push them towards the stairs. "Come on, I heard their car leave. They'll have gone now."

Hurrying out of the front door, we reached Takigawa's car with no problem. They really had left. The white van was nowhere to be seen.

Takigawa reached to open the front door, but paused. "Hey, kid…"

Yasuhara frowned. "What is it?"

"You recently learnt how to drive, right?"

"…Yeah?" He tilted his head.

Takgiawa let out a sigh, and then reached into his pocket and pulled out some car keys.

"Right, young man. I am trusting that you treat this car like it's a new born baby. If anything breaks, you're paying. Got it?"

Yasuhara grinned. "Got it." Takigawa threw him the car keys, which he caught cleanly. Then, opening the door, he got inside the car.

"Mai-kun, you sit in the front." Takigawa opened the back seat door and got in, beckoning me to get in as well.

"Um, ok…" Mai got into the car. "Why? Why are you letting Yasuhara-kun drive? You do realise he's going to crash this thing? And what about insurance?"

"If he does crash, I'll just pretend that I was driving. And anyway, there's a good chance those guys might still be hanging around." Takgiawa explained.

"Oh…so, if you and John-kun were sitting in the front, then they might see you?" Mai understood.

"Yeah, and that would be bad. They think that it was just some teenagers at the house, and they're fine with that. If they realised we had been there too, it could threaten all our lives."

In no time at all, Yasuhara was racing the car along the winding, tarmac road. The speed at which he drove was, frankly, worrying. At each corner, we were lurched this way and that. Frequently, Takigawa would shout,

"Hey, slow down, will you?"

To this, Yasuhara would simply say "Sure." He never actually slowed down.

"How did you pass your test?!" Mai demanded after she had been crashed into the window for the 7th time.

"I didn't." Yasuhara admitted openly and without guilt.

"What?! You said you can drive!"

"I can, I know how to. I just haven't taken my test yet."

Mai groaned. "Gee, you could have mentioned that before!"

As soon as we arrived back at the office, Takigawa slammed the door shut and locked it tightly.

We all let out a shaky breath.

"Wow." Mai laughed nervously. "That was scary."

"What, almost being caught or kiddo's driving?" Takigawa leant against the door, exhausted. I knew how he felt – now the adrenaline was gone from our systems, it left us feeling tired and deprived of energy.

"Both." Mai glared at Yasuhara. "I am never going in a car with you again."

Yasuhara smiled sweetly. "Well, you never know…" He was carrying a duffle bag that I only vaguely recognised.

"What's that?" I asked.

"It's what we found down that trap door." He placed it carefully down on the small coffee table and sat down on one of the sofas.

"I wonder who it belongs to." Mai sat down next to him.

"It belonged to one of the men who came to the house." I explained, as Takigawa and I sat down opposite them.

"We heard him mentioning that he left his bag down the trap door."

Almost tentatively, Takigawa unzipped the bag, opened it up and looked inside.

"Holy crap…" He breathed.

"What? What is it?" Mai leant over and peered inside. Her eyes widened.

Takigawa pulled out a sleek, black hand gun, and lowered it gently onto the table.

"Why-why would there be a gun?" Mai stared at it, aghast.

"Do you think these men were armed already?" Yasuhara asked.

"It's a definite possibility." Takigawa looked sullen. Now I knew what Kazuki meant by 'hell will break loose'.

"What else is in there?" Mai sounded unwilling to look herself.

"Not much, to be honest…" He rooted around in the duffle bag. After a moment, he pulled out several wads of yen notes.

"Just some…woah!" He examined them closely, in disbelief. "These are 10,000 yen notes!"

"What?!" Mai grabbed them and fumbled through the notes. "You're right…they're all 10,000 yen notes…"

Although I found Japanese currency quite confusing, I knew this was a lot to leave lying around down a trap door, especially considering the quantity there was.

"Wait a minute…" Yasuhara looked a lot calmer than Mai. "Do you think this could be connected to the dream you had, Mai-kun?"

Mai frowned. "I don't know, what makes you think so?"

"Well, it's strange that when you have a dream involving a large amount of money, we just happen to find a large amount of money in the place connected to your dream."

"Hm…" Takigawa scratched his head. "Mai-kun, did you happen to see either of the men at the house?"

She shook her head, so he asked, "Well, did you recognise any of the voices?"

"No…I wasn't really listening…" She frowned. "I heard that tune, though. What was with the weird melody he sang?"

"I don't know…" It troubled me. I did not remember ever hearing that tune, apart from when the colleague sang it briefly. Yet somehow, I knew it was bad. My body had begun to shake, my heart beat had sped up, even though I wasn't consciously scared. It was some kind of…reflex, maybe. A knee-jerk reaction. But why? What was worse, I couldn't seem to get the tune out of my head.

"Whatever it was, he was using it to check if we were there or not." I continued.

"Why? How would that work?" Mai asked, bemused.

"I think it was to try and make us…react. Speak up." There was no other explanation I could think of.

"What, to try and creep us out or something?" Yasuhara asked.

"Something like that."

"Hey…" Takigawa, who had been searching the bag again, spoke up suddenly. "I found something." He took out a small, crumpled scrap of paper.

"…Some paper…?" From Mai's tone, she seemed confused about why it was important.

"There's something written on it." Takigawa unfolded the paper and smoothed it out into full size. Even now, it was torn and small. I leant closer to Takigawa, reading the black writing that was hastily scrawled on the paper.

"It's…a phone number…?" There was a line of different numbers.

"It could well be, it definitely looks like one." Takigawa agreed.

"Who does it ring?" Mai asked.

"Well, there's one easy way to find that out." Takigawa walked to the desk and picked up the telephone. Pressing the speaker, he dialled in the number. I followed him over.

The tone began to ring. We both held our breath. Then someone answered the phone.

"Hello?" A gruff man's voice was on the other end.

"Hello, who is this?" Takigawa asked.

"This is Tokyo Car Heap, can I help you?"

"Car heap? For broken cars?"

"Yeah. Why, is there a car you need to get rid of? Or pick up?"

Takigawa hesitated, so I quickly spoke up. "There's a car we're looking for."

"Well, why don't you come over and have a look around for it?"

The location of the car heap was not too hard to find, but it had stopped raining and already the traffic was awful as people rushed back into the city centre. In the car with Takigawa, we travelled alone this time. He had not allowed Mai or Yasuhara to come along. The discovery of the gun had unnerved him.

"What if those people come again?" He had argued. "We shouldn't mess with these guys, that gun proves it. I'm not putting either of you at risk."

Reluctantly, Mai and Yasuhara agreed, so now I was alone with Takigawa.

"So…" We were sitting in a long line of traffic. "I never got to ask, did you see any…spirits? In the house?" His question was surprisingly exact.

"…Could you tell?"

"I was just wondering…you seemed very anxious about the trap door very suddenly, when you'd been fine a few moments before."

"You're very observant." I remarked.

Takigawa just shrugged. "Who was it?"

I rested my head against the window tiredly. "…Kazuki."

"What?" Takigawa stared at me. "So…"

"He's dead." I confirmed his unspoken question. "Kazuki was the man from the screens, when we first went to the house. And…" I sighed. "…he was the man from the burning building. The man who led me out."

"What was he doing there?"

"I don't know, he wouldn't tell me. He wouldn't even say why I was there. But…" I frowned. "Something he said struck me. He advised me to stop investigating."

"He did?"

"Yeah, he talked about 'curiosity killed the cat'."

Takigawa looked puzzled. "What does that mean?"

"Oh, sorry. It's an English saying. Basically, he was telling me that if I was too inquisitive, I would end up in trouble. But he slipped up, he said 'it's the same as last time'. So I think that maybe I was looking into something that someone wanted to stay a secret."

Takigawa considered this, troubled.

"Do you think it has something to do with Mattaku?"

The suggestion sounded very likely. "I think it may be."

"I mean, you kept on mentioning it at the river, right?" He continued.

"Yeah, I just kept on telling people not to let me forget about it." I stared out of the window, unhappily. "And guess what I did."

Takigawa patted my shoulder consolingly. "Hey, it's not your fault, ok?"

I nodded solemnly, and he went on. "So, maybe you found out who Mattaku us, and the colleague decided he didn't want you to find out."

Again, I nodded. "It makes sense. When I spoke to Sayomi-san, she said the reason she died was because she 'knew something she shouldn't have'."

Takigawa bit his lip. "This means that Kazuki-san was probably involved in some way, and probably for worse."

"What?" I stared at him. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, why else wouldn't he tell you about why he was at the burning building?"

"No, it's not like that. You see, he told me that there are a lot of disturbed spirits in that house. They've become site-bound spirits, and a lot of them don't know who they are or why they're there. Instead, they're just filled with negative emotions. The more the spirits focus on those negative feelings, the quicker they become just a mass of anger and fear. He said the only way to slow down that process is to try and focus on the good memories. I think that's why he didn't want to talk about it."

Takigawa said nothing for a moment, and instead focused his attention on the slowly moving traffic as the car inched forwards. Finally, he spoke up again. "…Ok. Who is this Kazuki-san to you, anyway?"

I shifted in my seat. "Well, I'm pretty sure we were good friends. He certainly seemed to think so. In fact, he said I was his…only friend." I paused. "He seemed a very lonely person. I wish I could remember more about him." Once more, Takigawa said nothing to this. Was he still mistrustful about Kazuki? It seemed so.

The traffic was still moving slowly. We had not moved particularly far in the minutes we had been talking. It was 5 o'clock, and the clouds had lightened. As we ground to another stand-still, I rested my head against the window again. Takigawa noticed immediately.

"Hey, you wanna get some rest?" He suggested.

"No, I'm fine." Although I said this, in truth a rest sounded very appealing.

"I don't mind. Honestly. And, who knows, maybe you'll remember something."

I smiled. "This must be what it's like for Mai-kun all the time, huh."

He smiled back. "Yeah."

Maybe a rest wouldn't be so bad. And remembering something would be helpful. Before I closed my eyes, I looked at Takigawa.

"Takigawa-kun?" I spoke his name quietly.

"Yeah?"

For a moment, I hesitated. There was so much I suddenly wanted to say, but no way I could think to phrase them. What would I talk about? The guilt about Kazuki eating away at me, for hardly remembering him when no one lese would? The fact that, by saving me, he died? Or something else? The melody that replayed over and over again in my head?

In the end, all I could say was, "Thank you. For helping me."

_Todayis the 20__th__ January. The ground now has a mere film of icy snow on the ground, but even so the air is sharp and cold. As I walk to Church, I am glad for the thick, warm gloves that Kazuki lent me. I see him a lot now, for we have become good friends. Actually, I am meeting him after Church. I look forward to it._

_When I am nearing the Church gates, I hear someone calling._

"_Excuse me." An old man approaches. His beard and thinning hair are grey, and he walks with a limp. "Are you Father Brown?"_

"_Yes, may I help you?" I can't say I recognise the man._

"_I'm sorry to bother you, but, well…the thing is, I'm not a church-goer, but my granddaughter is. And…she's quite…ill right now. I think…would you be able to say a word for her in the bidding prayers today? It's just, I think she would like that…and no one else will do it. We only have each other, all our other relatives have passed away." He shuffles his feet nervously. _

"_Of course. I'm not performing the mass today, but I can talk to Father Toujou if you wish, and ask him to mention her. What's her name?"_

"_She's called Watanabe Sayomi. And I'm Itsuke." He adds. "Watanabe Itsuke."_

"_Alright, I'll have a word with him. Forgive me for asking, but is she in hospital?"_

_His head hangs. "Yes. Yes, she is." _

"_I'm so sorry. I hope she recovers soon. What exactly is she suffering from, if you don't mind me asking?"_

"_Well…The doctors are still…_diagnosing_ her." Somehow, his strange emphasis makes me suspicious, but I say nothing further. _

"_I hope it's not anything serious. Tell her that I wish her a good recovery."_

"_I will. Thank you." With that, the old man limps away._

_After mass ends, I am not able to hang around for long like I normally would. Father Toujou agreed to mention Sayomi Watanabe in the bidding prayers, and I noticed Itsuke Watanabe sitting in the pews. At least he'll able to tell his granddaughter that she was mentioned in confidence._

_Walking outside, my eye is immediately drawn to Kazuki, standing outside the gates. He notices me and beckons to me, so I hurry over._

"_Hey, how was mass?" He asks as I approach._

"_It was good. It's cold in that Church, though." I pull on the gloves. He notices them._

"_Are they any good?"_

_I nod. "Oh, definitely. Thanks for lending them to me."_

_He smiles. "No problem. I'm just glad your hands aren't frozen off." He looks towards the crowded streets. "Say…wanna come to my apartment? Have a coffee?"_

"_How did I know you were going to suggest coffee?" I grin. "But sure, if you want to."_

_He pauses. "Well…do _you_ want to?"_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Do you want to? You always ask if I want to do something. What about your own opinion?"_

"_I don't really mind…"_

_He insists, "No, really, what do you want to do?"_

"_Um…" I shrug. "Actually, I'd quite like to see your apartment. If that's ok."_

_He laughs. "Of course it's ok. I'm the one who suggested it. But seriously, you should always speak up if you don't want to do something."_

_Kazuki's apartment is very spacious. There is not much furniture – a small coffee table, a sofa and a television are in the main room, but nothing else. Not even a rug on the floor. The kitchen consists of only the necessities, and a small table to eat on. This must be why it feels so…empty. There aren't even any pictures on the plain walls._

_I remark on the emptiness of the rooms._

"_I guess you could call me a minimalist." He says, shrugging. Walking to the kitchen, he calls back over his shoulder,_

"_You take yours black, right?"_

_I nod, sitting down on the sofa. I notice that the window on the wall is very large. In fact…looking closer, I realise it is a glass door with a balcony on the outside. Curiously, I slide open the glass door and step out._

_It is freezing cold, and because the apartment is on the top floor, it is even colder. Even so, I am impressed by the view that stretches across Tokyo. The neon lights, the tall offices, the busy roads…in the distance, I can even see the Shibuya crossing._

"_D'you like it?" Kazuki's sudden appearance makes me jump._

"_Yeah, it's impressive." He stands close behind me. "It's cold out here, though." I comment._

"_It's because we're so high up."_

"_Hey…how come we are so high up? I mean, why did you get a room that's on the highest floor of the building? Surely the air's thinner. Isn't that bad for your lungs?"_

"_It is. I get light headed easily out here. But I'm used to it. And I like being on the top floor."_

"_Why?"_

"_It feels more…isolated."_

"_Isn't that a bad thing?" I turn around to face him._

"_Well, the thing is…can I tell you a secret?" He lowers his voice._

"_Of course." I reassure him. He looks…embarrassed? No…scared._

"_The thing is…" He begins again. "…You're my only friend. I only have one friend, and that's you."_

_This is a shock to me. "Really?"_

_He nods sadly. "Well, I'm not particularly…sociable, you could say."_

"_You were sociable with me."_

"_I was friendly with you. And I am friendly with other people. But I'm not sociable. You're an exception. See…" He looks troubled. "…I get scared easily."_

"_Scared of what?"_

"_I'm scared of…I don't know. I don't like people getting too close to me." _

"_Why?"_

"_Because it will only end badly. I know it."_

_I sigh, and put a hand on his shoulder. "You can't live like this for your whole life. It's too lonely."_

"_Isn't lonely better than hurting people? Getting hurt? Letting people down?"_

"_You don't know that's going to happen. The chances are, it won't. You have to try and trust yourself. Trust other people. I know it's all very easy for me to say that, but it's just what you've got to do."_

"_What if you trust the wrong person?"_

_I smile sadly. "There's no way to tell, is there? You've just…"_

"_Got to hope it's the right person." He finished my sentence, and looks at me. "And what about you?"_

"_Hm?"_

"_You're a very nice person, John. You're very kind. It's a quality that seems to be underestimated a lot these days. And it's a quality that seems to be getting rarer and rarer in these times. There are too many people that take advantage of kind people. And it is very easy for these people to take away that kindness completely and leave you bitter and scarred."_

_I nod. "I know. And it's something I've experienced first-hand. But…well, I have this friend. The monk I told you about. He's a Buddhist, and he talks a lot about karma. He says that if you are unkind, that unkindness will come back to you. All I can do is hope it works the other way, too. That kindness comes back as well. Call it naïve. If it doesn't, then too bad. But all I can do is hope that it does."_

"_Hoping doesn't always work."_

"_Of course it doesn't. I know that. But hope is all you've got left, sometimes. I know to watch my back. I'm not stupid. But sometimes, in the worst of situation, all you can do is hope. When you give up that hope, you're as good as dead."_

_There are still a lot of feelings I keep hidden. I know this, and Kazuki knows this too, I think. __He doesn't say anything, though__. Instead, he wraps his arms around me and hugs me tightly. It is quite unexpected._

"_Kazuki? Are you ok?" His head is buried in my shoulder. Again, he doesn't say anything. He just grips me tighter._

_At last, he speaks up. "Let's go inside." His voice is barely audible. "It's cold out here."_

I woke up just as the car slowed to a halt. We had arrived at the car heap, finally.

"Well, here we are." Takigawa had parked the car outside the entrance of the car heap, alongside several vans and lorries to transport broken vehicles.

I rubbed my eyes. "That took a long time, didn't it? There was so much traffic…"

"Yeah, it's not normally so busy." Takigawa stepped out of the car, so I did the same.

"I know it's a bit late to ask…" Takigawa leant against the car. "But why exactly did you want to come here? Was the finding-a-car thing just an excuse, or…?"

"I was wondering if Watanabe-san's car would be here." I told him. "Apparently, he was victim of a car accident involving failed brakes."

"That's how Doctor Nakumura died, right?"

"Yeah. I just wondered if his car would be here. If it is, we could check the brakes and maybe prove that they had been tampered with, and if it isn't, we can still find out why this number was in that bag."

"Good idea. Oh yeah…" He looked at me. "Did you…remember anything?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I remembered Itsuke Watanabe. He came to me before Church, and asked me to mention Sayomi-san in the bidding prayers. Apparently she was in hospital."

"What with?"

"I don't know, he seemed a bit…uncomfortable when I asked. He said the doctors were still diagnosing her, but I think he might have been lying. The way he said it…he definitely didn't want to talk about it. Not in a sad way, more in…an embarrassed way, almost."

"So, what would be bad enough to make him lie?" Takigawa frowned in thought. "An STI or something, maybe?"

"I guess we'll just have to find out." I looked at my feet. "There's something else we'll have to check out, too."

"What would that be?"

"I remembered going to Kazuki's apartment. I remember the address. We should try and visit the place." Takigawa looked unsure, so I added, "You know, you were right. I don't think he's involved in this for worse, but he's definitely involved in some way, like you said. There might be a clue in that apartment to help us."

Takigawa hesitated, then nodded. "Right. Well, let's have a look around this place first, now that we're finally here." He looked nervously at his car. "I hope they don't think this is scrap and take it away."

"I'm sure they won't." I reassured him, smiling.

At the gates, a security guard was sitting inside a booth, reading a newspaper. The gates were shut, so Takigawa walked to the booth and tapped on the glass impatiently.

"Hey." He called in. "Can you let us in, please?"

The guard, disgruntled, put down his newspaper and pressed on a speaker. "Why're you here?" His voice came clearly through the glass.

"Uh, we're looking for a car. Why else would we be here?"

The guard scowled. "Just answer the questions. Name?"

"Houshou, Takigawa Houshou. From Shibuya Psychic Research. This is my friend and co-worker, John Brown." He gestured to me.

The guard looked down at a list. "Oh yeah, you wanted to look for a car. Correct?"

"I said that a few seconds ago." Takigawa seemed to be in an irritated mood after the frustrating traffic on the way.

In response, the guard rolled his eyes and pressed a button. The gates opened slowly.

"First on the right, you'll see another building. Uotoni-san will be in there, he's the guy you want to speak to." At once, he picked up his newspaper again.

The building that the guard spoke of was small and dirty. The fumes from large vehicles passing through with broken cars had stained the metal roof with black soot, and the brick wall was scratched and chipped. Outside, a tall man was speaking to an orange-clad worker.

"Don't do that without my permission again. Ever. Or else you'll find yourself out of a job." The tall man was shouting at the worker. "Got that?" He loomed threateningly over him. The worker nodded, ashamed, and scuttled sheepishly away. Then the tall man turned his attention to us as we approached.

"Oh, may I help you?" His tone was civil, as if he had not been shouting a few moments before.

"Yeah, I'm Houshou Takigawa, I rang about a car I wanted to find." Takigawa explained. The tall man nodded in recognition.

"Yeah, I remember you. My name is Hatori Uotoni, I'm in charge here." He turned and walked into the building, beckoning us as he did so.

Inside, cobwebs hung in the corners of the ceiling, and dust was collected in the corners of the floor. A large wooden table, with a battered computer, was in place.

"Right. So, I'm assuming you're looking for your car?" He sat down behind the computer.

"Actually, no. We're here on behalf of a friend. He was in a car accident and passed away, and we think his car should be here." Takigawa explained. "His name is Istuke Watanabe."

Hatori typed quickly on the computer. "I recognise that name." He muttered. After a moment, he nodded.

"Yeah, his car was transferred here a few months ago. In late February, I believe. Unfortunately, it's been destroyed."

"What?" I felt dread beginning to creep up on me. "Did someone ask for it to be destroyed?"

"Well, I don't know. I didn't even authorise it, one of my workers allowed it without permission and then didn't record who had requested it." My heart sank. The colleague had beaten us here.

"However," Hatori went on, "we emptied the car of all items when it arrived. Would you like those? I mean, this might not be the person you're looking for, but who knows."

"Yes, please." Well, at least the colleague had missed something. Maybe there would be something useful.

As Takigawa filled out a form, Hatori hurried away and returned with a cardboard box.

"Here you go." He passed it to Takigawa. "You're lucky, these were on the verge of being thrown out. We have a three month policy. Any longer than that and it's thrown away."

"Thanks." Takigawa bowed his head gratefully. "We really appreciate it."

Back in the car, we looked through the box before joining the long line of traffic once more.

"So, anything useful?" Takigawa asked as I searched through it.

"Um…" There was a few pieces of litter, a SatNav, a car freshener and…a wallet.

"This should be useful." I pulled out the wallet, and opened it up. "There should be something in here that helps us to find his address."

"Do we even know if this is the right guy?" Takigawa sounded sceptical. "I mean, it could be anyone."

"Well, the whole business with the unauthorised destruction sounded suspicious, at least. And Uotoni-san said that no one had claimed the items left behind in the car, and that would make sense. Watanabe-san said that it was only him and Sayomi-san left in their family. And if it's the wrong person, we can always apologise."

"Hm…you're right. Well, is there anything in there?" He peered into the wallet as I leafed through yen notes, old receipts and credit cards.

"Umm…" My eye finally fell upon a laminated licence. "Here we are." I looked at the face on the drivers licence. An old man looked back at me.

"This is him." I confirmed. "This is who I remembered."

"Great, is there an address?"

"Floor 5 of the Western apartment block, on Green Lane."

As the car re-joined the long lines of traffic, I felt Takigawa's gaze on me. After a while, he spoke up.

"So, what were you doing with Kazuki-san?" He asked, almost suspiciously.

"Not much. We talked. Had coffee." I felt this information was private.

"What did you talk about?"

"A lot of things. Hope. Trust. Karma. Things like that." I said no more, for I had already given away more information than I was happy with. Takigawa lapsed into silence for a minute, and then spoke up again.

"Oh yeah. When we were in that house, what _was_ with that melody? When that guy sang it, you began to shake. You looked scared."

I sighed. "That's the thing. I wasn't scared, but it was like…my body was scared. Or my subconscious. For reasons I don't understand. The only thing I can think of is, maybe it scared me but my amnesia has wiped out my awareness of this fear. So while I still recoil, I don't feel scared."

Takigawa nodded in understanding. "What about now? How do you feel?"

"Fine. I can't get it out of my head, though." The melody was still ringing around my ears.

"Well…if it gets any worse or…something like that happens again, tell me." Takigawa said the last words firmly. "You have a habit of not speaking up when you have a problem or you don't want to do something, or obliging anyway. If there's something you have a problem with, you should always speak up."

I nodded simply. Inside, I was thinking of all the things I had a problem with. Things that scared me. Things I should speak up about. I looked over at Takigawa, his eyes concentrated on the road. I trusted him, I knew that. No matter what Kazuki had said to me at the abandoned house, about the colleague's ability to 'change people', I knew I could trust him. That fact would never change. Maybe in the future, if there was something I had a problem with or something that scared me, I would tell him instead of keeping quiet. Like how the melody in my head was getting louder and clearer, and it was beginning to scare me.

I opened my mouth to speak, then my eye fell on something. A large, red firetruck. The sirens were blaring, and traffic parted hastily as it went screaming down the street.

"Is there a fire…?" Takigawa wondered vaguely.

"Follow it." Something inside me had become suspicious. I didn't know why, but suddenly the firetruck was very important to follow.

"What?" Takigawa glanced at me in confusion.

"Please, follow it." Takigawa hesitated, then obliged to my request. He broke out from the traffic line and followed the firetruck down a narrow street.

"Where is it going?" He asked, as it roared past startled passer-bys.

"I don't know…" I did not recognise the area.

At last, the firetruck pulled up outside a large, apartment block. Flames ravished the concrete walls. Smoke billowed from out of windows, as a fire destroyed the building.

"Oh my God…" I stepped out of the car, looking up at the apartment. An ambulance was parked nearby, and a crowd of people stood at a safe distance from the building as it disappeared behind smoke and flame.

"John, why are we here? We shouldn't be here, there's a fire!" Takigawa began to protest as he got out of the car. "It's dangerous!"

A news reporter stood by the ambulance, microphone in her hand, while a cameraman recorded her. As I neared, despite Takigawa's warnings, her words drifted into earshot.

"…so far, there have been no fatalities, but the apartment housing many inhabitants caught fire today at 6:30pm. Most of Green Lane has been evacuated for safety reasons until the fire is put out and the cause is determined."

Green Lane? I turned to Takigawa, sharing a horrified look.

"Hey," Takigawa caught the attention of a fire worker, "is this the Western apartment block?"

The fire worker nodded. "Yeah. There's no hope for the place, the whole thing is going down in flames. We're not going to save it in time."

First the car, now the apartment. The colleague had beaten us again.


	16. Chapter 16: Reprise

**(A/N): Well, here is chapter 16. I'm am very glad to have Wi-Fi back, and again, thank you for being patient and thank you for reading!**

* * *

_Today is January 30__th__ , Church has ended, and I can see Kazuki waiting at the gates for me. The snow is fully gone now, and the ground is hard and solid. None of the children are playing outside, for it is dark. There was an evening mass, and the sky has become dark quickly. At 6 o'clock, the sun has vanished and darkness has fallen. The moon is hanging in the sky while the stars have been eroded by the blaring lights of Tokyo._

_Kazuki sounded both surprised and uneasy when he head of the time my shift ends at the hospital._

"_Is it really ok to be walking around at night?" He had said. "You never know what creeps are wandering around at night. When he had heard about the evening mass, he offered to wait for me and walk me home. Despite my insistence that I could look after myself, he seemed particularly worried, so I agreed, to give him some peace of mind._

_As I hurry over to him, where he leans against the gates, someone calls my name._

"_Father Brown! May I talk to you?" It is Itsuke Watanabe, limping over to me. I halt and turn to him._

"_Is everything ok?" He does not look very happy._

"_Well…" He looks around nervously. "Remember my granddaughter I told you about?" Itsuke visits the Church quite frequently now, and he often talks about Sayomi when he comes – how she's doing, people she meets at the hospital, what she likes and doesn't like. He talks about what she hopes to do after university, when she gets out of hospital, her hobbies, her interests._

"_What's wrong? Has something bad happened?_

"_She's been transferred."_

_This information confuses me. "Transferred?"_

"_She's been moved to a different hospital." He shuffles his feet in the cold. "And they won't let me see her."_

"_Why not?"_

"_They say her condition isn't stable enough."_

_I frown. "That's strange. If you're her only family member, then surely you would be allowed to see her. That's what it's like at the hospital where I work."_

_Itsuke falters. "Oh…you see…" He looks unsure whether to speak or not._

_Footsteps ring out across the courtyard, echoing through the still air. Kazuki is walking over curiously and uncertainly. At his presence, Itsuke looks wary. Nervously, he fumbles for a pen in his front pocket and a scrap of paper._

"_What's your number, Father? Your telephone number?" He asks, clicking his pen. His request bemuses me, but I tell him my number. He scribbles is down frantically. Then he snatches my hand. His grip is tight and desperate._

"_Here's mine." The point of the pen digs roughly into my skin, but I allow him to write the number anyway._

_Kazuki has reached us now, just as Itsuke finishes writing his number down on my hand. Before Kazuki can say a word, Itsuke withdraws his pen and strides past abruptly, muttering, "Good night, Father Brown."_

_As he hurries away, Kazuki watches on in interest._

"_Who was that?" He asks._

"_A man who comes by Church sometimes." I tell him. "He's called Itsuke Watanabe."_

_Kazuki nods thoughtfully. "He seemed upset."_

"_Yeah, his granddaughter is in hospital right now." I explain. "But apparently her condition's worsened, and the doctors won't let him see her."_

_Kazuki frowns. "That's strange. That's very strange."_

"_It is, isn't it?"_

"_What's the name of the hospital?"_

"_I don't know, he didn't say."_

_Again, Kazuki frowns. "And what's wrong with his granddaughter? It must be very serious if the doctors won't let him see her."_

"_He never said. She's called Sayomi, by the way. Sayomi Watanabe."_

_He freezes for a moment, his brow furrowed. Tilting my head, I ask,_

"_What's wrong?"_

_For a moment, it's as if he hasn't heard me. However, he eventually shakes his head and awakens from his trance._

"_I just…no. Never mind."_

_Nonetheless, he looks anxious, so I tug his arm gently and say,_

"_Come on. Shall we leave?"_

_He looks at me craftily. "I don't know. What do you think?"_

_I smile. "I think we should go."_

_He smiles back. "Me too."_

I drifted awake. The melody from yesterday was still lingering in my head, and I rubbed my eyes, trying to get rid of the tired blurs. Once more, I had slept over at Takigawa's apartment, and once more I had slept in the corner. Takigawa still hadn't noticed, luckily. I had tried to break out of the habit, but no matter how I tried sleeping in a bed, I could not sleep. Anxiety would gnaw at me while I lay in the bed, and it would not stop until it had wormed its way into my centre and forced me out of the bed.

After the fire that had consumed Itsuke Watanabe's apartment, Takigawa and I had decided a retreat would be the safest option. If the colleague or any of his workers were still hanging around, it could be dangerous. What's more, we had guessed that this had been the 'job' mentioned by the men in the abandoned house.

Now I was awake, I checked my watch. It was 9am. Sighing, I pulled on some day clothes and stumbled out of the spare room.

Entering the kitchen, I saw that Takigawa was awake. He always seemed to be up early; perhaps he was accustomed to waking early after living at Mt. Koya. He noticed me, as he shovelled half-heartedly at a bowl of cereal, gathering the pieces on his spoon and letting them fall back into the bowl.

"Good morning." From his tone, it did not sound like it was a particularly good morning for him.

"Good morning." I greeted him back in response. He beckoned me over to the table he was sitting at, so I pulled up a chair opposite him.

"Well, what's the plan for today?" He asked, stirring the cereal around and around.

"Umm…I'm not sure. We can't exactly go to Itsuke-san's apartment." All that was left was a ruined shell.

"I hear they managed to save some of the floors," I saw that Takigawa had a newspaper spread out across the table, "but floors 4 and upwards were completely incinerated."

"It's brutal. Do they know the cause?"

Takigawa shook his head. "Not that I know. But it's strange. If Watanabe-san has no living relatives, then no one is going to check up on his apartment. No one would notice if the place was emptied, say. So why doesn't colleague-san do that instead? It's be a lot easier and less risky than torching the place."

"Well, we were going to check up on the place, weren't we? Or someone would clear the place for a new tenant."

"I guess…" Takigawa frowned. "It just seems such an extreme way to do it. Surely there would be a better, easier way…"

"I see your point." His logic was undeniable. "Maybe…I don't know, it he thought we were getting too close, he might have panicked. And if half the place was burnt down, finding evidence is going to be hard for the police."

Takigawa nodded, but still looked unsure, and I continued uncertainly.

"I mean…we can't really enter his mind, or know why he acts the way he does. His logic is too twisted. He's a sadist, understanding his thought pattern is tricky. And, who knows, maybe the fire was an accident, but what are the chances? That the place we were going to visit burns down? It's just…too much of a coincidence."

Takigawa scratched his head. "Yeah…I guess you're right. Anyway, wondering about that won't help us. Should we visit SPR? Maybe Naru-kun is back. He could help us."

It sounded like a good idea. "Yeah…will anyone be in at this time?"

"I hope so."

It turned out that Kazuya had arrived back at the office. Lin was there, too. As was Mai, Yasuhara, Ayako and Masako. And as soon as we entered the office, all eyes were on me.

"Oh my God, John-kun!" Ayako had already walked over to me. "I can't believe it! Are you ok?"

"We told them everything." Yasuhara came over, too. "If you don't mind. But, after yesterday, it sounded like things were getting more and more dangerous for you."

"Yes." Now Masako had walked over. "I never imagined anything like this would happen."

"Naru-kun came back yesterday evening." Mai had hurried over. "We explained everything to him, but he said to wait until this morning to call you or anyone else."

The surprise of this had left me speechless. As they crowded around me, I began to feel claustrophobic. It was that song in my head, that stupid song. The repeated melody was giving me a headache and making me feel nauseous. Takigawa, perhaps sensing this, pushed me away from them and led me to one of the sofas. I faced Kazuya, who had remained silent and seated. He was reading a file calmly, and his collected demeanour somehow lessened the feelings of sickness.

"…This is a very unexpected situation." He remarked. I saw Lin sitting at a computer in the corner.

"Unexpected is an understatement." Takigawa spoke up quickly.

"Yes, indeed it is." Kazuya closed the file. I heard the others sit back down.

"So you weren't in a car accident?" Ayako asked.

I shook my head. "No. I'm sorry I lied to you all, I just felt…uncomfortable with telling everyone that I have amnesia."

"That's understandable." Kazuya decided.

"It must have been terrifying," Mai agreed, "waking up in hospital with no idea why you were there…"

"Now, there's the matter of this stalker." Kazuya move on quickly. "Please tell me more about him."

"There's not much I know, to be honest." I admitted. "He calls himself 'the colleague', I don't know his real name."

"Is there any distinguishing feature he has?"

"Not particularly. Well, if you mean his face. It's very…bland, almost. He has black hair and black eyes. If you were to see him on the streets, nothing would stand out about him. He wears complete black, though. A black suit."

"And how are you certain this man is following you?"

"He left a message saying he was looking for me, a few days after I got out of hospital. He left orange lilies behind at a co-worker's funeral service, and then kept on leaving them wherever I went."

Mai paled. "So…you mean…that time you were here, and someone left those lilies at the door…"

I nodded grimly. "Yes. That was him."

Mai shuddered, but Kazuya prompted me on, so I continued.

"That day, he visited me outside the Church."

"In broad daylight? Isn't that a bit…risky?" Kazuya pointed out.

"I know. I don't know why he did it. But when I got back to my apartment, at around 7 o'clock, he was there. He managed to get into my apartment and change the security alarm." I shivered. "He confessed that it wasn't his first time in my apartment. He said…" At once, I felt uncomfortable with sharing this information. So far, it had been a large feat saying this much. Frequently, it felt like the words just refused to come out. Now, it was even harder. At my pause, Kazuya asked,

"Well?"

I strengthened my mind. "…he said that he had been there before, watching me when I was asleep."

"What else did he say?"

"…He said he was going to …kill me." The others froze. Their reaction, their intense gaze, made me even more distressed. "Not right now. But eventually. He said he wanted to 'make me pay'."

"But why? Why is he doing this?" Ayako demanded.

"It's something that happened in March, I think. Something I can't remember. He wants to kill me, before I do remember."

Kazuya frowned. "This means your amnesia is only temporary, correct?"

I nodded. "I've already remembered a few things."

"Like what?"

"I remember a man. He's called Kazuki Brooks. I was friends with him. And I remember being at this burning building…and Kazuki was there. He led me out – saved me – but he died just after."

"Hm…" Kazuya nodded as he absorbed the information. "What else have you managed to piece together?"

I explained everything I knew. Kazuki, Sayomi, Itsuke Watanabe, Rin Ikeda and Hayate, Mattaku, Doctor Nakumura, this strange 'Saburou' person…At the end, the others looked shocked. Only Takigawa, for he had heard it before, and Kazuya remained nonchalant.

"….So the police won't believe you?" Kazuya spoke up after a moment of silence.

I nodded miserably. "Not until I have solid evidence."

"That's strange. I believe that if a person, a possible stalker, does at least two things to make you distressed, they are classed as a stalker and there must be some sort of action." Kazuya pointed out.

I put my head in my hand. "I tried to tell them that. More than once. I don't know why they don't believe me, they just keep on refusing."

"Why would they do that?!" Mai exclaimed, angrily.

"I don't know…is it because I'm foreign? Or because I apparently look young?" I was the one asking them.

"Those may be contributing factors…This will make everything a lot more complicated." Kazuya looked grim. "The whole situation is very serious. By ourselves, it is even more dangerous. By yourself," he looked at me, "it would have been suicide. Confiding in Bou-san was the right thing to do."

"What do we do now?"

"That's tricky to say. We could always go to Brooks-san's apartment, that could be useful. But first…you said that, the last thing you remembered about Itsuke Watanabe, he seemed anxious and like he wanted to tell you something?"

I nodded. "Yes. But I don't remember what."

"There's something I'd like to try, if it's fine by you."

"What are you planning to do?" Takigawa asked suspiciously.

"A hypnotic technique to see if we can bring back the memory."

I hesitated. "…Would that be safe?"

"I've used this technique before many times. It's never failed me."

Again, I faltered. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." He gave no more argument. Eventually, I gave in.

"Ok. We can try."

The lights were all off. The curtains had been pulled. The office was dark. All except for a single red light. I sat on one of the sofas, watching the light as it pulsated gently. Kazuya's voice resonated from somewhere in the office.

"…match your breathing with the light…" I had heard this before, a long time ago. Obeying his request, I felt myself feeling tired. Well, I had not slept well, so that must have contributed…

"…you've just talked to Itsuke Watanabe. He wrote a phone number on your hand…" Kazuya's voice seemed a lot further away now. "…he's walked away…what's happening now…?"

_After Kazuki walked me home, I offered that he stay for the night. At this suggestion, he seemed pleased, but it was not enough to shake his anxious state._

"_I'll sleep on the sofa." He offers._

"_Do you want some pyjamas?" I ask. To this, he smiles weakly._

"_I'm a lot taller than you, John. Nothing of yours will fit me."_

_He falls asleep quite quickly, so I take the opportunity to write down Itsuke's number onto a more secure piece of paper. Then I pick up the phone and dial in the number._

"_Hello?" The voice is sharp and panicked. I recognise it as Itsuke Watanabe's. _

"_Hello, it's Father Brown. From Church."_

"_Oh, it's you." He sounds more relieved. _

"_Watanabe-san, is there something you wanted to tell me?"_

_He hesitates. "…Yes." Finally, he succumbs. "Yes, there was something. You see…Sayomi, she…" He sighs. "She's not in an…ordinary hospital."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_She suffers from paranoia. She's in a psychiatric ward right now. A mental hospital."_

_His words shock me. "A mental hospital?"_

"_Yes." This explains why he was so reluctant to tell me what she was suffering from._

"_I see. That's very unfortunate. Paranoia must be terrifying."_

"_Yes. The thing is…" He lowers his voice. "…Before she was transferred, I spoke to Sayomi. And she told me something strange."_

"_What might that be?"_

"_She saw a patient being moved…forcefully."_

_He sounds very vague, so I press for more details. "What do you mean?"_

"_I mean, she saw another patient being removed from the hospital against his will. No doctors, no authorities overseeing this. Just, in the dead of night, she claimed some 'men wearing black' came and took a patient away."_

_These are troubling words. "So, she thinks she saw a kidnapping?" _

"_Well, the thing is…I didn't believe her." He sounds ashamed. "I thought it was her paranoia acting up again. And when I mentioned it to the doctors, they said that it was just a patient being transferred, that it was nothing to worry about. And now…I'm worried. Now, they're claiming that Sayomi has been transferred, and they won't let me see her. I'm worried."_

"_Ok. Have you tried talking to the police?"_

"_Well, no…I mean, they wouldn't believe about what Sayomi saw, would they?"_

"_The point is, unless this new hospital has proof that Sayomi has been acting violently towards herself or others, they can't not let you see her."_

"_Oh…I see…" These words seem to give him hope. "Yes…I'll speak to the police…that's what I'll do…"_

"_Do you know the name of the hospital?"_

_He is saying something, but his words drown out. Everything is going blurry. What's happening?_

_Then it's there. That melody. It's beginning to play. No. No. Not that. Please not that. Anything but that. He's dragging me away, I don't want to go with him, no no no._

_I struggle desperately. "No! Let go of me!" In response, he hit me. Hard, across the head. It makes my mind reel. My body goes limp. I can't struggle any more. He's just going to drag me away,_

"_Kazuki!" I gasp. "Please…Kazuki…help…" Where is he? I don't know._

_Now, he's dragging me away. He throws me into a room. The melody is still ringing loudly. Where am I? The room is dark, pitch black. I fumble at the walls, trying to pull myself up to my shaky feet. These aren't ordinary walls. There are…vents?_

_Oh no. Not this. Not this. A light suddenly flicks on. It stabs at my eyes. I see the room I am in – filled with barred air vents, but otherwise completely empty._

_I can't stay in here. I have to get out. But I can't think straight, the melody is still playing._

"_Let me out!" I bang at the walls. "Let me out! Please! Let me out!"_

"_John, where are you?" A voice speaks out suddenly. It's…Kazuya's voice…_

_Please let me out." I beg him._

"_Where are you?" He asks again, more firmly this time. _

_Holding back a sob, I whisper, "It's the room. I can't remember its name. The silent room. It makes you go mad."_

"_Go mad…?" Now, he is standing in front of me. He places his hands on my shoulders._

"_John. You're not in the silent room anymore."_

_I shake my head. "No, I'm here, I have to get out –"_

"_John, you have to trust me. Ok?"_

_I nod shakily. He continues. _

"_Ok. Close your eyes. And someone turn that song off!" He shouts to no one in particular. He takes my hands. "Close your eyes. I want you to imagine the office. Shibuya Psychic Research. Can you do that?"_

_I nod, and close my eyes. I try to imagine it._

"_Now, I'm going to count down from 5 to 1. When I get to 1, you'll be back in the office. Ok?"_

"_Ok."_

"_5" His voice is clear and calm._

"_4" The melody stops, at long last._

"_3" I feel so tired all of a sudden._

"_2" Everything is fading away._

"_1."_

I jolted awake, sweat on my brow and my heart racing. The light was back on, stinging my eyes. Kazuya was knelt in front of me, holding my hands.

"John?" He asked quietly. "Are you awake?"

I nodded slowly. "What-what just happened?"

Everyone was crowded around me again, looking concerned. I tried to stand up, but immediately I felt like I was going to throw up.

"Get him some water." Kazuya ordered. Mai brought over a glass. I drank it gratefully – I felt so thirsty all of a sudden.

"What happened?" I asked again. "One minute I was talking to Watanabe-san over the phone, and then…"

Lin placed a smashed mobile onto the coffee table. I had never seen it before.

"Everything was going fine." Kazuya began to explain. "You talked about Itsuke Watanabe. You phoned him, and he told you that his granddaughter suffered from paranoia."

"Yeah…" I remembered that.

"Then that mobile began to ring." Kazuya continued. "It played a melody."

"The one from the abandoned house." Mai interrupted quickly.

"And you just…you were…hysterical." Takigawa finished grimly. "You had been speaking in Japanese all that time, but as soon as the melody played, you spoke in English."

"You talked about a 'silent room'." Kazuya told me. "You were shouting to be let out. Begging."

I nodded. "…Someone came. I heard the melody, and someone came and dragged me away to that room." I shuddered at the memory, and I felt Takigawa place a comforting hand on my shoulder. To take my mind off the unpleasant memory, I focused my attention on the mobile instead.

"Where was it? That mobile?"

"In your jacket pocket." Kazuya spoke up.

I paled. "What?"

"It wouldn't turn off." Now Lin spoke up. "So I smashed it."

"Have you ever seen this mobile before?"

I shook my head. "No."

"This is worrying." Kazuya stood up and swept his gaze around the office carefully.

"We should leave." He announced.

"Huh?" Mai looked puzzled.

"Come on. Let's go." Kazuya walked to the office door, with Lin following closely behind.

Takigawa helped me to my feet. "…You ok now?" He asked, worried.

I nodded shakily. "I'm fine. Let's go."

In the end, we headed over to the local library. The room was quiet and peaceful. There were few people in the library: a few college students, an elderly couple, a handful of reading adults, the librarian and some monitors. We were the biggest party of people there. In fact, we looked quite out of place.

"Uhh…Why are we here, exactly?" Mai asked, bemused.

"Last night, I discussed the option of using hypnotic suggestion with Lin. Then someone puts a mobile into John-kun's pocket that jeopardises the entire situation. Someone knew about our plan. Someone listened in on it."

Mai paled. "Do you think…someone could have bugged the place?"

"It's a definite possibility." Kazuya confirmed. "Until we find out exactly how our conversation was overheard, I don't want you going back there. Understood?"

There were no arguments. Everyone nodded solemnly.

"Good. Lin and I are going to examine the office to see if we can find any bugs or other devices. In the meantime, stay here until we get back."

"Stay here?" Ayako didn't sound impressed. "And do what?"

"Research. There are lots of old records here and a number of computers. See what you can find. In particular, look for anything about a person who identified themselves as 'a colleague' or anyone else with definite aliases who were people of interest to the police and government. Also, look for anything about this Mattaku person, any other complaints or accounts where patients were removed forcefully from a ward with no authorisation, and any incidents involving car accidents caused by failed brakes." Without another word, he and Lin swiftly left the library.

"Research?" Mai pouted. "Ugh. This is going to be a long wait."

Yasuhara, on the other hand, did not look phased. Instead, he clapped his hands together and said,

"Right. We should split up. Half of us take the computers, the other half look through the archives."

Mai smirked. "Who made you leader?"

"What can I say, research is my main forte." That made sense – Yasuhara did a lot of information collecting and inquiries.

"Why bother going through the archives at all, if we have computers?" Ayako pointed out.

"There's a lot of information in the archives that haven't been documented electronically, or are even blocked." Yasuhara explained. "And we don't want to miss anything."

Eventually, we split into two groups – Ayako, Masako and Yasuhara started on the computers, while Mai, Takigawa and I began our search in the archives.

"Wow…" Takigawa let his gaze roam across the huge bookshelves. "This is going to be a long search."

"Yeah…" Where would we start? There was so much to look through.

"Come on, then." Despite her cheery tone, Mai looked like she was dreading the search. "Let's get started."

After an hour, Kazuya and Lin had yet to return. Still, there was no luck with the research. The three of us were sitting at a table in the corner, walls by the side. A variety of different files from different sections of the archives were spread out in front of us. We had found no record of anyone called Mattaku, and though there had been a few accidents with failed brakes on cars, the information was often too lacking, with the owners of cars remaining unnamed in the records and articles. Any records on incidents in psychiatric wards were almost nonexistence. Takigawa leant on the wall, looking as if he might fall asleep, but each time this happened, Mai poked him until he snapped awake again. She was tired too, though.

Mai yawned loudly. "Is Naru-kun still not back yet?"

"Nope." Takigawa looked over to the others. Yasuhara was still typing fervently, Masako more uncertainly, while Ayako was leaning over Masako's shoulder. I could hear them speaking.

"How often do you use a computer?" Ayako was asking.

"I have no need to." Masako replied simply.

"You're such a slow typer." Ayako remarked snidely.

"At least I _am_ typing and doing work. Unlike you." Masako retorted. Scowling, Ayako turned back to her computer and continued her research begrudgingly, while muttering complaints under her breath.

Takigawa stood up and stretched. "Hey, I'm gonna go see how the others are doing. Maybe Yasuhara will have found something, he looks quite busy." He walked over, stifling a yawn. The mild heat and hushed atmosphere was very soporific, and I could see that everyone was feeling the effects of it. I definitely was, for one.

_Today is the 6__th__ February. It is morning, and I am just about to head out to work at the hospital. Kazuki has stayed over for the entire night. Now, he is sitting upright on the sofa, stretching and trying to rid his back and shoulder of cramps;_

"_How did you sleep?" I ask, sitting down next to him._

"_Uh…well, I've slept better." He admits. "You got any coffee?"_

"_Just for you." I take a pot of ground coffee from a cupboard and spoon some into a plunger._

"_So, you heading to the hospital this morning?" Kazuki asked._

"_Yeah, I have to cover for someone. I don't normally have to leave this early."_

"_Do you have to leave now?"_

"_No, my bus doesn't arrive for another hour; I just like to take my time…"_

"_Stay for a bit longer, then. Please? There's no point in being that early."_

"_Ok." He's right, I might as well stay a little longer._

_We eat breakfast together. Kazuki swirls the cereal around in his bowl absent-mindedly. He looks over at me. "you haven't got much there." He comments._

_I just shrug. "I don't eat much for breakfast. By the way, Kazuki," I quickly change the subject, "what do you do as a job? I don't think you've ever told me."_

"_Me? I'm a doctor at a hospital. Right now, I'm having a vacation. A very long vacation. I, uh…needed some time off." He looks uncomfortable._

_I frown. "You're a doctor?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_You know, the first time you met me, you pointed out the whole I-shouldn't-be-working-as-a-nurse-because-I'm-a-fo reigner thing, but _you're_ a doctor."_

"_I know. But because I'm half-Japanese, I can get away with it."_

"_Where do you work? Which hospital?"_

"_You probably haven't heard of it." He changes the subject swiftly. "Really, you're not eating much there. You should eat more. Breakfast is an important meal."_

"_It's fine." I say dismissively, but he persists._

"_How much do you weigh?"_

"_Um…I don't know. I don't weigh myself."_

"_I bet you'll be really light, you know. You should eat more." He repeats._

_Time ticks by as we talk. It's pleasant being able to sit down and talk to someone over a meal. It feels like a while since I've done it. However, the time goes too quickly, and soon it is time for me to leave in order to catch my bus. Kazuki decides to stay around a little longer, and I don't mind him staying in my apartment. I head for the door, but as I reach it the phone begins to ring. Quickly, I pick it up, wondering who it could be._

"_Hello?"_

"_Father Brown!" The voice is urgent._

"_Watanabe-san? What's wrong?"_

"_It's Sayomi, I think she's in danger!" I freeze._

"_What? What happened?"_

"_Look, I was at the library, and I found a case just like mine."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_2 years ago, a patient at a psychiatric ward reported seeing another patient being removed, unauthorised, just like what Sayomi saw. And this patient was taken away too, and no one ever heard from him again. I think Sayomi is in danger! And there's more." Itsuke continues gravely. "A journalist mentioned this incident in a newspaper article. Not long after, he died in a supposed accident."_

_This is sounding more and more ominous. "Where are you right now?"_

"_I'm leaving the library, I'm in my car."_

"_Ok, do you know the name of this psychiatric ward? Or the name of the person who runs it?"_

"_Yes, I do, it's…what…" He sounds panicked. "What the heck?!"_

"_Watanabe-san, what is it?"_

"_My brakes…I can't….They're not working…"_

_I feel the blood drain from my face. _

"_It's not working!" He yells. There is the screech of a swerving car. Then the scream of metal wrenching. Then silence._

"_Itsuke!" I shout. "Itsuke, can you hear me?!"_

_No answer._

_As soon as I reach the hospital, I see an ambulance driving in. A group of paramedics outside are waiting. The doors open, and someone is wheeled out from inside the ambulance on a stretcher. I run over._

"_Nurse Brown, what is it?" One of the paramedics asks._

_I see the person's face. It is Itsuke._

"_Itsuke!" I walk by the stretcher as it is wheeled into the hospital. "Itsuke! Can you hear me?" _

_The medic looks irked. "Nurse Brown, I'm going to have to ask –"_

_Suddenly, Itsuke coughs and heaves. His eyes shoot open._

"_Father…Brown…" He wheezes heavily, grabbing hold of my hand._

"_Itsuke, you're going to be fine –" I begin._

"_The library…look for…Friedrich…Howe…two years ago…at…" He splutters, "…Kyoto hospital…"_

"_I will." I try to reassure him. "Don't worry."_

_He grips tighter. "Save…my granddaughter…please…save Sayomi…"_

"_I will, but you're going to be fine –"_

"_Promise."_

"_I promise."_

_Then a medic holds me back. Itsuke clings onto my hand until he is pulled away. They push him behind two swinging doors. _

_The operation takes a long while. I wait outside the surgery. I haven't signed in yet, but I don't care. After two hours, a doctor walks out from behind the door._

"_Well?" I ask. He shakes his head grimly._

"_I'm sorry. He passed away during surgery."_

I woke up suddenly. Takigawa was back in his seat.

"You know, you're going to feel sick if you carry on sleeping during the day. Both of you."

I realised that Mai had fallen asleep on my shoulder, as I had been leaning against the wall. My movements made her wake up.

"Huh…?" She rubbed her eyes. "Wha….?"

"I ought to poke you until you wake up, you know. Right, no slacking off this time –" Takigawa began, but I was already bolting out of my seat.

"Hey, John-kun! Where are you going?" Takigawa called after me.

I beckoned him over. "I need to find an article from 2 years ago, by a journalist called Friedrich Howe."

"Friedrich Howe?" Mai trotted over. "That's German, right?"

"It sounds it, but I'm not sure. Right before he died, Itsuke-san told me to research him. He said that we could find a report in the archives here."

At once, we began to pour over a number of different records and files. It was an anxious search, as one thought replayed over in my mind – what if the colleague had beaten us again, and destroyed the records?

"Did Watanabe-san tell you anything else?" Takigawa asked.

"He was on the phone to me, and he said that Howe reported an incident similar to Sayomi-san's, where a patient was removed forcefully with no authorisation. It was witnessed by another patient, who was 'transferred' like Sayomi-san, then never heard from again."

"Never heard from again?" Mai echoed my words.

"The same thing could have happened to Sayomi-san. We need to find the name of the psychiatric ward she was transferred to."

Just then, Yasuhara, Ayako and Masako idled up to us.

"You look like you're onto something." Ayako remarked.

"Yeah, we're looking for a man called Friedrich Howe. He was a journalist who died in an accident 2 years ago after reporting an incident similar to Sayomi-san's." I explained.

"Friedrich Howe?" A voice behind us made us all jump. Kazuya and Lin had returned.

"Naru-kun!" Mai sounded happy. "You're back!"

"I was aware." The comment was quite cold and uncalled for, but it only irritate Mai rather than upset her. Before she could launch into an argument, Takigawa quickly asked,

"So? Did you manage to find out how your conversation was overheard?"

"Yes. That duffle bag you brought back from that abandoned house?" Kazuya's tone was heavy with anger. "You missed something when you searched it. There was a bug inside, that's how our conversation was overheard. I expected you to be more careful."

Takigawa could not put in a word of protest as Kazuya continued. "Because of your carelessness, John was put through a very traumatic memory that was completely unneeded." Everyone in the library was staring at us now. I shrunk under their gaze. "What would have happened if we hadn't found the mobile? Or what if we hadn't managed to wake John up so easily? What if we hadn't managed to wake him up at all?"

"You were the one who said the hypnotic suggestion would be completely safe!" Takigawa shouted back.

"Yes, because I didn't think you would have allowed anyone to interfere with the suggestion."

"What, you're saying this is all _my_ fault?!"

"You failed to search that bag correctly –"

"Excuse me." The librarian had stridden over, scowling. "If you're going to continue making this level of noise, I will have to ask you to leave. You're disrupting the peace and disturbing other readers."

She gave them both a long, hard stare that dared them to argue back. Neither of them said a word.

"…Good." With that, she walked away. The library was reduced to quiet whispers between those present. Kazuya and Takigawa glared at each other.

"Umm…" Yasuhara raised a file in his hand, breaking the angry and awkward silence. "I think I found the file we were looking for."

We gathered around while Kazuya flicked through the stiff, almost pristine pages. After a mere glance at the writing, he turned to us. "I'm afraid it's in German, so I can't read it."

"I can read it." German was among one of the languages I had studied at school, and being a western language, was fairly easy to read in comparison to Kanji or the other Japanese alphabets. Kazuya passed me the file, and I scanned through it.

"Let's see…in Kyoto Psychiatric Ward, a patient called Dimirti Chekskov reported seeing another patient…Andrew Williams…being removed forcefully from the premises without the presence of a doctor or other authority. This eyewitness account was ignored because Chekskov was diagnosed with a form of schizophrenia…Howe goes on to point out that Chekskov was actually responding well to treatment, with the medicine lessening the effects of schizophrenia. In fact, he had not acted on his schizophrenia in a while and the doctors were even considering on letting him out of the ward, provided he continued taking his medicine. However…it looks like a month later, Chekskov was transferred to a different ward in a rural area outside Tokyo somewhere, and wasn't heard from again. There was no real explanation for this, but even so the local police and health care system never questioned it."

"Where is this ward that Chekskov was transferred to?" Kazuya asked.

"I don't know…all it says is 'a secluded, rural area outside Tokyo'…but it does say…"

When I read the single word, I froze. It seemed to stand clearer than the other words, against the page.

"What is it?" Takigawa asked.

"…Remember when I was found at the river, and I kept on saying the word 'Mattaku'?"

"Yeah, and the spirits in the house said the same, but we couldn't figure out exactly who Mattaku is?"

"We were wrong. Not who. What."

Takigawa frowned. "What do you mean?"

"'Mattaku' is the name of the psychiatric ward that Chekskov was transferred to."

The library remained silent.


	17. Chapter 17: Perspective

**(A/N): Wow. I did not like this chapter. This chapter gave me severe writers' block. This was a really hard chapter to write, for some reason. Anyway, sorry about the delay, the next chapter shouldn't take as long. Thanks for reading!**

* * *

_Sol y Mar Hotel, Mexico City, Mexico, _

The young man took a long gulp from his lukewarm water bottle, the liquid tasting salty from his sweat that had rolled into the water off his nose. It was disgusting, but nonetheless, the young man forced it down his throat. Overhead, the sun stood proudly on its pedestal in the midday sky, and threw its heat cruelly down onto the polluted, choking city. Countless vehicles clogged the roads, despite the heat of the day.

Conor Gillard hated the heat. It left him tired and bad-tempered and unable to do anything. After a long car journey that prolonged over two days, he was thankful to be in a hotel with working air conditioning. Now, he was lying down on a cheap, itchy mattress while a fan whirred weakly above him. Somehow, this was the comfiest Conor had been for some time.

"Hey. Wake up." Someone leaned over him. Groggily, Conor woke up, albeit reluctantly. A pair of blue, narrowed and irritated eyes was watching him.

"Huh?" He asked with a gaping mouth. In response, he was kicked on the leg. Hard.

"Ow!" He exclaimed loudly, much to the annoyance of the people next door, who began to mutter and complain in Spanish.

"There's no time for sleeping."

Conor pushed himself into an upright position. His companion had already walked away, hastily tying her blonde hair back and out of the way, lest it became a bother.

"You know," Conor refused to get off the bed as the young woman sat down behind a laptop, "you didn't really give a reason why we had to bolt out of the rainforest, travel to Mexico City and book a flight for Japan."

He got no real answer – just the soft typing of the keyboard.

"Sinead, come on." Conor did not have much patience in this weather. "Why are you acting so sullen? You're not normally like this."

He was right. Sinead Brown was by no means an irascible person, and was actually good-natured. Such outbursts of hostility were unusual from her.

For a moment, Sinead remained in stubborn silence as she continued typing. Finally, she spoke up, and her tone was grave.

"…I'm worried about John."

Her fear was unexpected. "What?"

"I haven't been contacted by him in a long time. The last time we spoke was in March."

"Sinead, I seriously doubt anything bad has happened." He tried to reassure her, but she remained unconvinced.

"I tried to contact him several times, but he didn't answer. Then I got a message saying he was on a training course, to do with hospital work. But I checked with the hospital, and they denied any such thing."

"What?" Now Conor was up and striding over to Sinead.

"Yeah. And because we got caught up in that business at the temples, he wouldn't have been able to reach me if he called me recently."

"Look…uh…" Conor scrambled his thoughts and logic to think of a good reason to explain this information. He could not think of one.

"…Well…have you tried tracking his credit card? Any paper trails he might have left behind?"

"…Since the 11th April, I've been able to track him, but from March 5th to April 29th, nothing. Not a single penny spent, no trace of anything…And…" Sinead inhaled sharply. "…John was in hospital for two weeks, it looks like."

Conor concealed his shock, poorly. "And before that?"

Sinead furrowed her brow as she typed away. Suddenly, she froze.

"…Conor." Her voice was almost a whisper. "…Can you access the 4XS case files for me?"

Conor grimaced. "That'll take a couple of days, at least. Why?"

Despite the suffocating heat, Sinead shivered.

"I have a bad feeling about this, Conor. A very bad feeling."

_Shibuya Psychic Research Office, Tokyo, Japan_

"We have no time to waste."

To Kazuya's insistence, we had changed our location and now we had arrived back at the office. However, Kazuya did not plan to stay there for long.

"This place could have easily been bugged as well, maybe while we were out, so we should leave as soon as possible."

He did not look open to argument, so no one spoke up. After a thorough search in the archives, we had come across Friedrich Howe's obituary. It stated that he died in a car accident, when his brakes failed and he crashed into a something. Other than that, there was nothing. Nothing on Chekskov or Williams, either.

As for Mattaku Psychiatric Ward, there was no other record of it that we could find. Not in the archives, and not on the internet. Apart from the report that Howe made, it was as if the ward was non-existent.

"Now, tell me again. During the time in which you have no memory, someone emailed all your work places and gave excuses to cover your disappearance. Correct?"

"Yeah. There should be an email from a man called Masaru Sato."

Mai nodded. "Mm, I remember seeing it."

"And apparently, Father Toujou received an email that was supposedly from you, Lin." Kazuya went on. "There should be a record of this. Can you check?"

Lin sat down in front of the laptop. "When did you receive this email? From Masaru Sato?" He asked Mai.

"Uh…March 20th, I think."

Lin typed quickly, and observed the screen.

"…I don't see it here."

"Not anywhere?" Mai asked, surprised.

"No. And there's no record that my account ever sent an email to Father Toujou."

"Really?" Mai stood behind him, looking over his shoulder. "Well, I _know_ I saw the email from the hospital."

"It's not here now."

Kazuya frowned. "Do you think the account has been hacked?"

"That's possible. Unlikely, but possible." Lin told him.

"So unless someone actually came here and erased the record directly, the email account was hacked…" Kazuya looked thoughtful.

"What, is your email supposed to be unhackable or something?" Ayako asked.

"Well, it would be very difficult to hack it." Kazuya gaze the office a quick glance. "Either way, it spells bad news for us. We should leave soon."

"Already?" Mai asked with surprise.

"Yes. I don't want any more important information being overheard." As Kazuya said this, I noticed he glanced at Takigawa, who just stared at him.

"Well," Yasuhara spoke up, sensing the tension between Takigawa and Kazuya, "there's a park nearby, and lots of families go there, I think. I doubt colleague-san would try anything if we went there, it would be too risky for him."

For a moment, neither men said a word, and instead continued staring each other down. Finally, Kazuya replied to Yasuhara's suggestion.

"Good idea. We'll go there now."

The park was filled with people, but not overly crowded. Young children ran through the pine trees, while their parents watched on diligently. Couples strolled past the flower beds and small ponds, their arms linked together. A few individuals were pulled along by dogs that strained at their leads, while others simply walked alone through the scenery, occupied by their own private thoughts.

"Now," We watched Kazuya in a line as he stood with Lin, leaning against the back of a park bench, "we need to be extremely careful. All of us."

He looked at me. "John-san, I want you to continue staying at Bou-san's house. Make sure that you're always with someone when you travel around the city, so when you go to work or Church. Get your shift time changed at the hospital too; I don't want you walking around the streets at night anymore. Understood?"

I nodded obediently. "Got it."

"Good. Bou-san, make sure your apartment is secure. If colleague-san could get into John-san's apartment easily, then he should have no problem with yours, so increase your security."

Takigawa nodded solemnly. "Right."

"Now, Mai-kun, you need to start going to school more."

Mai bristled. "Are you trying to bring my intelligence into this or something?!"

"No. If something were to happen to you, if you were to go missing, the chances would be that you wouldn't be high on the school's priority list. They would assume you were at work, and it's not like they can check with your parents." At this, his tone became softer, and Mai stopped her aggression. Kazuya continued.

"If colleague-san could hack our email, then he could always pretend you were working on a case with us. Your school wouldn't question that, so you need to make clear with your teachers and your friends that you are going to be going to school for a while, no more working at the office." Mai began to protest, but gave up quickly. "That way, if something were to happen to you, then they would question it and you would become a higher priority. Actually, just to make sure, I want you to stay over at a friend's house. Will you be able to arrange that?"

Mai nodded eagerly. "Yeah, that'll be no problem."

"Hara-san." Now he looked to Masako. "You still need to be vigilant, but I would find it very surprising if colleague-san were to target you. You're a celebrity, and well-known on television, so your disappearance would definitely be noticed. Even so, make sure to do background checks on all clients you receive. If they are the slightest bit suspicious, turn them down. I know your television crew might disagree, but don't let them pressure you into taking any suspicious clients."

Masako nodded steadily. "Of course, Kazuya-kun." She smiled sweetly, much to Mai's annoyance.

"Matsuzaki-san, is there anyone you can stay over with?"

"Well…" Ayako examined her nails. "My relatives live pretty far away, so that's not very practical…I have a friend I could stay over with. Does it matter that much?"

"Yes. It is a lot safer being with someone else than being alone."

"Alright, I guess I could arrange something…will it be necessary to heighten all the security as well?"

"Possibly. As soon as you move in with your friend, the chances of you becoming a target will decrease greatly. However, I think it would be safer to increase your security anyway. Could you persuade your friend to do this?"

Ayako nodded confidently. "Easy."

Finally, Kazuya turned to Yasuhara. "Now, Yasuhara-san, since you're still a student, you're at much less risk. If anything were to happen to you, questions would be asked. Still, don't let this lure you into a false sense of security."

Yasuhara nodded calmly. "I'll make sure of it."

Satisfied, Kazuya turned to Lin. "If worse comes to worse and things get violent, I can rely on you to sort things out."

Lin nodded apathetically. "Yes."

"There may be a chance of guns being involved in an extreme circumstance, so be aware of that." Kazuya went on.

"Hold on." Ayako interrupted. "Guns?"  
"Yes. There was evidence of this in that duffle bag. This is why we must be exceptionally cautious. If you see anything suspicious, anyone who looks out of place, tell someone immediately. Don't brush it off, no matter how small it may be. Understood?"

Again, no one argued.

I walked up the stairs of my apartment with dread. It had felt like a long time since I had last been here. Takigawa followed me as I led him upstairs to my floor.

"Have you spoken to the owner?" He asked as we walked.

"Yeah, don't worry." I told Chiaki Abe that I would be staying at a friend's house for a while, on Kazuya's request. I did not tell her much more, though. Now, we had returned briefly so I could collect more clothes.

Considering what happened the last time I had been in my apartment, I could not help but feel very nervous. At long last, we reached the door.

"Wait a minute." I took out a key ring, on which dangled four keys. Using them to open the large quantity of locks on the door, I cautiously pushed it open and peered inside. No one was there.

"That was a lot of locks you had there." Takigawa remarked as we entered.

"Yeah, I didn't use to have so many, but when I got out of hospital…I guess you could say I was a bit…anxious?"

"I think 'wary' would be the best word." Takigawa corrected my linguistic mistake.

"Ah, yes. Wary, sorry." Exhaustion was sapping my strength and concentration. I needed a decent night's sleep; Japanese was hard enough without the hindrance of fatigue.

After giving the apartment a quick glance over, I turned to the security alarm, which was buzzing insistently.

"So, this is the security alarm? Has colleague-san changed the number again?" Takigawa asked. Thinking back to my encounter with the colleague, I pressed in the number 011511, while Takigawa watched on. At once, it ceased to make any more noise.

"Well…" Takigawa began to walk around the apartment and observe everything with interest. I realised that this was probably the first time he had been in my apartment. Feeling awkward in his presence as he shamelessly investigated my belongings, I decided to set to work and gather the things I needed.

This was the first time Takigawa had been in John's apartment, so he took his time in examining the place. The furniture was not particularly fancy or expensive, but plain, simple and well-kept. Around the place, there were a few things lying out – a jumper left on a sofa, a pair of shoes tossed on the floor, a mug here and a glass there – though in comparison to his own apartment, Takigawa found the place pretty tidy. Pausing beside a small bookcase, Takigawa scanned the spines of each book, trying to read the titles. Unfortunately for him, they were all in English. He recognised some of the authors – John Green, Georgette Heyer. There were a few non-fiction books, too. One was on Japanese culture, the other on the Japanese language. There was a sturdy, thick book on Aboriginal Australian history, as well as more books on ancient civilisations that Takigawa could not understand.

Also on the shelf were a few photograph frames. Curiously, Takigawa picked one up. A young girl, perhaps Mai's age, stood facing a vast, turquoise ocean. Her head was peering back over her shoulder to look at the camera, with her hair being blown clear from her face by the wind. Whoever the girl was, she looked like a slightly younger, female version of John. Their faces were the same shape, every feature the same distance apart. The only thing that seemed different was her hair – as well as being much longer, it was much paler too, almost bordering white.

Who was she? A sister? Now that his interest had been piqued, Takigawa went on to examine the other photographs. The next showed two people, perhaps Ayako's age – a man and a woman, standing in front of a forest. The man was very tall, just smaller than Lin, and seemed well-built. He was dressed in casual, scruffy clothes, standing with his hands in his jean pockets. A handsome young man, he looked into the camera with a small smile on his lips. Like John, his eyes were blue, but this time his hair was a darker blonde, almost brown, and his face was defined and bold. Next to him, a woman stood at a similar height. Unlike the man, her clothes were messier and stained with dirt. Around her own neck was a battered camera. Her hair – dark blonde, like the man's – was neatly plaited; perhaps the only tidy part of her. With her arms crossed, she seemed irked to be in the photo. However, the corner of her mouth had twitched into a smile.

The third photo showed a winter scene. A blonde woman, maybe 25, was standing outside an old, intricate and large Church as snow floated down around her. She wore a scarf and a trench coat, with one hand in her coat pocket. The other hand was around John's shoulder, who looked rather surprised and almost flustered, yet flattered, that he was in the photo. The woman was taller than he was, and her face was more similar to the woman in the previous photo. Her hair was the same hue as John's, though.

The last photo was of an older couple, standing outside a large, detached house with the sun searing overhead. A man had his arm around a woman, while she beamed at the camera. The man looked more sullen than his companion. Their faces were lined with creases and their hair slightly greyed. Were these John's parents? Both were blonde haired and blue eyed. The woman in particular looked especially like John.

"Those are my parents."

Takigawa almost dropped the photo as he started. John was standing behind him.

"O-Oh, right. Sorry." He quickly placed the photo back down on the book case. However, John did not seem to be angry. He had a back pack slung over his shoulder, and a bible was underneath his arm.

"No, it's fine." He was saying. "I don't mind you looking."

Takigawa felt more at ease now. He pointed to the photo.

"So…those are your parents?"

"Yeah, outside their house in Australia."

"You take after your mother, it seems."

"Mmhm." John walked over. He pointed to the girl by the ocean.

"That's my younger sister, Amelia. She's 17, and she's standing by the Great Barrier Reef. She's hoping to study Marine Biology." He moved onto the next photo. "That's Katie and Peter. They're twins, and they're both 23."

"Are they your older brother and sister?"

"Yeah. Peter is a weapons engineer, and Katie is an archaeologist. They're at Redwood National Park in California."

"What about this one?" Takigawa pointed to the final photo.

"Oh, that's my cousin. She's called Sinead."

"Is she Australian? Like you?"

"Oh, no." John laughed a little. "She's English."

"You're on the photo, too." Takigawa remarked.

"Yeah." John shifted uncomfortably. "I was staying over at her house on holiday. We're outside the York Minster there. I was taking the photo, but then she insisted that I should be in it, too."

"It's a nice photo. Do you take photos often?"

At the question, John suddenly froze. "…Yeah…I do…" He turned around and hurried back to his bedroom. When he returned, he was carrying a camera.

"I take photos quite often, like you said." He explained. "So I was just wondering if I took a photo of anything important."

Takigawa immediately understood what John was wishing for – evidence of the situation that they could give to the police.

He hurried to John and looked at the camera over his shoulder.

"Well?"

John turned on the camera, which whirred into life. The floor, and both his and Takigawa's feet, appeared on the screen. John pressed a button, and the gallery flashed up.

'ERROR'

"What…?" John murmured under his breath. Carefully, he turned the camera upside down and opened the sim card slot. Ejecting it, he examined it carefully.

"…I think it's broken…"

Frowning, I swept my gaze across the apartment once more. Nothing seemed out of place…Yet something was off. If the colleague had been able to get into my apartment so easily, surely he would have searched the place for any evidence my pre-amnesiac self left behind. The broken sim card certainly suggested this. I knew the colleague had visited my apartment at some point, he admitted doing this, so had he decided to give the place a quick search while he was here? It would make sense if nothing was out of place; the colleague was a very careful man, after all. What if he had left a bug or another device here, like in the duffle bag?

I turned to Takigawa. "Well, shall we go?" I did not want to stay here any longer than was needed.

"If you're ready."

Soon, we were back in the car and driving. I was glad to be out of my apartment, finally. Even Takigawa's car seemed a lot safer than that place now.

"So, if we have time, I'd like to try and stop off at a locksmith on the way, and see what kind of security systems I can install. I know it's only 9, and the shops should be open for a little while longer, but the place I want to go closes earlier than the other shops." In busy places like Shibuya, shops were often still open at 9 o'clock.

"I'm sorry about all this, I'll pay for any locks you might buy." I offered.

Takigawa shook his head. "Don't worry about it, I'll pay. Some extra security won't hurt, I don't mind. Honestly." His words sounded sincere.

I looked at him, his attention focused on the road. Something about Takigawa made me feel more relaxed, and after the horrible flashback earlier today, it was something I definitely appreciated.

Almost reading my mind, Takigawa glanced over at me. "You look a lot better."

"What do you mean?"

He sighed guiltily. "I mean…after this morning…" I realised he meant the flashback.

"Yeah, I'm fine now."

Takigawa paused. "…Look. I'm sorry I missed that bug. I should have found it. I'm sorry you had to go through that memory."

"You don't need to apologise, Takigawa-kun. Really. It wasn't your fault. I should have been more careful. I should have noticed someone putting that mobile phone in my pocket."

Exhaling, Takigawa looked over at me as the car steadied to a halt.

"…I'm just glad you're ok now. We've got to be more careful from now on though. I'll make sure to give the apartment a thorough check when we get back." He said.

I hesitated. "Did I…mention Kazuki at all? During the hypnotic suggestion?"

"Briefly. You said he was staying at your apartment, and that he seemed anxious."

"What about…during the…"

Takigawa understood what I meant. "Yeah. You called out to him, I think. I know I shouldn't bring this up, but…do you know who…tried to take you away?"

I shook my head. "I don't know. But…I think they'd done it before. I knew what was coming, and I recognised that 'silent' room."

Takigawa shook his head. "Hey, let's not talk about this anymore. You've had to recount enough things today, am I right?"

I nod in agreement. "Definitely."

After stopping off at the locksmith and buying a number of locks to be installed, Takigawa paused before he started the car again.

"Hey…your hospital isn't far from here, is it?"

Now that he mentioned it… "I think you're right."

"How about we go there quickly, and you can change the time of your shift?"

"Good idea." The hospital was only five minutes away, and the traffic was light. By the time we arrived, it was only 25 to 10.

Inside, the hallway was busy with tired workers and limping patients. The waiting room was crowded, but the A+E was thankfully secluded. Among the workers, I glimpsed Leiko talking to one of the receptionist. She noticed me, and hurried over to me, giving Takigawa a puzzled glance.

"Hey, what are you doing here? Today's not your shift day." She asked.

"Actually, I came to change my shift time to something earlier." I explained. "Do you know if any times are available?"

"There should be." She smiled at Takigawa. "I know you. You're Norio, aren't you?"

Takigawa grinned. "The one and only."

"I thought I recognised you." She played with her hair. "I didn't know you two were friends. You should have told me, John-kun."

"Sorry, I guess it slipped my mind." Leaving Leiko to flirt with Takigawa, I hurried to the reception desk.

"Excuse me, but could I –"

"John-kun!" Amaya pulled me roughly away from the desk by my arm.

"A-Amaya-kun? What's wrong?"

"You need to see this." Her tone was serious. As she pulled me down a corridor, towards the surgery ward, I felt myself fill up with dread. Had there been another accident? Had someone been hurt?

Finally, she stopped me outside a patient's room. The door was closed tightly.

"What's wrong? Has someone…"

"You were talking about a man called Itsuke Watanabe, right? And you said he died in a car accident after his brakes failed?"

"Yeah…don't tell me…"

Amaya nodded solemnly. "After the same thing happened to Doctor Nakumura, and after you became so concerned with it, I decided to keep an eye out. I mean, car accidents are common, but failed brakes? That's pretty specific, and all in the same area. And then we got a case of one. I tried to ring you, but you didn't pick up."

"Thank you for looking out for this." I bowed my head gratefully. "Who's the victim this time?"

Amaya looked slightly puzzled at my choice of words, but she checked on her clipboard. "It's a man called Hayate Yoshida."

It felt like I had heard the name before. "Hayate Yoshida?"

"Yeah. He doesn't have any living relatives, so we've contacted his fiancée. She'll be arriving soon."

"How's his condition?"

"Stable. He wasn't driving particularly fast, so the crash wasn't as bad as the previous cases."

"Is he awake?"

"Last time I checked, he was sleeping." Carefully, Amaya pushed the door open. Inside the room, a man lay in the hospital bed, connected to wires and tubes. A heart monitor beeped softly in the corner. Bandages were wrapped around and around his head. His chest rose and fell with each breath. When I looked at his face, I realised at once who this was.

The door was pushed open again, and Takigawa entered the room.

"Hey, I've been looking for you. Where did you –" He stopped short when he saw who was lying in the hospital bed.

"Wait…Isn't that…" He breathed.

Gravely, I nodded. "It's the man who found me at the river with Rin Ikeda."

Takigawa swore under his breath as I continued. "He's called Hayate Yoshida. He was driving his car when apparently the brakes failed."

Again, Takigawa swore. "Why? What's the point in…" He froze. "Is it punishment to Yoshida-san? Because he found you and saved your life?"

"…I think so." The thought made me feel sick with anger. "Yoshida-san didn't deserve this. Neither did Ikeda-san."

As we spoke, Hayate suddenly stirred. Groaning, his eyes flickered open.

"…Wh…What…" His voice sounded strained. Quickly, I knelt by the bed.

"Hayate-san, it's me. Do you remember me?"

Hayate looked at me, and for a moment said nothing. After he had reassembled his thoughts, it seemed, he spoke up. "…Brown-san?" At the effort, he winced, and his face looked pained.

I nodded. "How are you feeling?"

"…I was in…my car…" Hayate ignored my question. "I couldn't…stop…"

"Hayate-san, don't exert yourself. You need to rest."

"And…and I crashed…" He carried on regardless. "…into another…car…are they…ok?"

I looked over at Amaya. She shook her head sadly, and mouthed, "We lost them."

Turning back to Hayate, I reassured him, "They're doing fine. Don't worry. But you need to rest now. Ok?"

Slowly, he nodded. "…Ok…" In no time at all, his eyes were shut and he was asleep again. There was still discomfort etched onto his face.

Standing up, I walked back over to Amaya and Takigawa.

"Why did you lie to him?" Amaya asked.

"Look how injured he is. He's in a lot of pain. I didn't want to add guilt to all that."

Takigawa nodded in understanding. "Who was in the car?"

"An elderly couple. It was a head-on collision, and they didn't make it." Amaya stared at me. "John-kun, what did you mean 'he found you at the river?'"

Now that I thought about it, I had not fully explained the situation to Amaya, or Leiko.

"Amaya-kun, in March…where did you think I was?"

"You were doing some work at your parish, right? Up until the 18th April?"

The 18th April was my first day back at work at the hospital. Something struck me as strange, though. "What about March 29th?" This was the day I was found and brought to hospital.

"Uh, I just assumed you were still doing your Church work."

"Amaya-kun, I was being hospitalised from March 29th to April 11th. Here."

Amaya frowned. "What? Here?"

"Yeah, didn't you realise?"

"No, I had no idea."

I thought back to when I woke up in hospital. "What about Nurse Honda? She was there when I woke up. Didn't she mention it at all?"

"No, she didn't say a thing. I don't think anyone knew."

Before we could say anymore, the door swung open and a distraught young woman ran into the room.

"Hayate!" She dashed over to his side and, kneeling down, grabbed hold of his hands. "Hayate!" Then, wrapping her arms around him, she sobbed quietly.

Silently, the three of us left the room, leaving the woman be. Once we were out of the room, Amaya asked,

"Was that his fiancée?"

I nodded. "Yes, that was Rin Ikeda. I didn't realise they'd gotten engaged."

"Look." Amaya placed her hands on my shoulder. "I don't know what's going on, John. I had no idea you had been hospitalised. And these car accidents…they're no coincidence, are they?"

I said nothing, so she continued. "What's going on? You need to tell me."

"I can't explain fully. I want to, but I'm too scared to. I've already put enough people at risk. But there's something I'd like to ask of you. Right now, I don't feel like I can trust many people at this hospital." I lowered my voice. "Doctor Nakumura was hiding things from me. I think he'd been bribed. Probably Nurse Honda as well. Who knows how many others have been, too. So can you make sure to keep an eye on Hayate-san while he's here? I have a feeling that he could be in danger."

"Danger?" Amaya's eyes widened. "Shouldn't you tell the police?"

"They won't listen to me. But please, make sure no harm comes to him." I didn't want another person dead because of me. "Most of all, be careful. Before you go in a car, make sure the brakes are working. Get an earlier shift during the day. And Leiko, too. Both of you, please be careful."

"Um…Of course. But…are you leaving?"

"I have a feeling I won't be able to come back here for a while."

"What?! Why?"

"Things have gotten dangerous for me here. I know I can trust you and Leiko, but there are a lot of people here who I can't."

Amaya was silent for a moment, before she nodded reluctantly. "Ok. There's a lot I don't understand, but I'm going to trust that you know what you're doing. I'll make sure to keep an eye on Hayate-san."

"Thank you. But most of all, please be careful."

"I will." Amaya pulled me into an embrace. I hugged her tightly, trying to fight the feeling that this was my last time seeing her. Ever since I had met her, Amaya had been a very close friend. She was the first not to treat me differently because I was foreign or because of my appearance, and in Japan, that was a rare thing. Whenever there was a problem, she was one of the few people I would confide in. And when it was Amaya who had the problem, I was the one who heard first.

Finally, we pulled away. "I have to go now." I told her, my voice quiet.

"I'll see you around." Amaya whispered.

Now, Takigawa and I stood outside the hospital, as the air cooled around us. I watched the building one last time, as people filtered in and out of the large glass doors, patients and workers alike. The hospital had been a place that could be exhausting and demanding, but the sense of satisfaction made up for that. Despite the hierarchy of doctors and the discrimination that I had met more than a few times, I had a lot of good memories associated with it. But at this time, the harsh, sterile smell that I constantly dreaded had dampened those memories.

"I don't understand." Takigawa spoke up. "Why do you have to leave? Why aren't you coming back to the hospital?"

"I don't think it was just Doctor Nakumura who was bribed." I began to explain my fear. "I spent two weeks hospitalised there, and yet no one seemed to realise this. The chances of that are too slim to be a simple accident. If colleague-san has someone working for him inside the hospital, then he might be trying to hide the fact I was hospitalised. I don't know what he's going to do next, but I don't want to be hanging around if he's up to something in the hospital."

"That sounds like the best thing." Looking over at Takigawa, he seemed to be quite sullen.

"What's wrong?" I asked him.

"I could ask you the same thing, you sound really…grim."

I sighed. "I just…if colleague-san did this to Hayate-san, it's because he saved me at the river. If he hadn't found me, there's no doubt I would have died."

"You feel guilty, right?"

"Yeah."

"Me too."

I tilted my head. "How so?"

"I should be helping you, and this just makes me feel like I've done nothing. You know?"

I knew how he felt – we were frustratingly falling behind the colleague as he continued with his schemes. All we could do was watch on helplessly.

"You've done more than enough, Takigawa-kun."

He looked at me and smiled. "You know, even in this situation, you're so…"

I waited for him to finish his sentence, but after a moment, he seemed to have given up.

Instead, he patted me on the head. "…You know what? How about we go and grab a drink? I certainly feel like I could use one."

While I did not mind alcohol, it was not something I was desperate for whenever I went out with a friend. But, right now, a drink didn't sound like a bad idea. "Well, ok then." After he had paid his parking ticket, I followed him to the car, where he examined it cautiously.

"I hope _my_ car hasn't been tampered with." He muttered anxiously, sitting inside and turning on the engine. As he did so, he began to press down the brakes and test them.

Watching him from outside the car, I looked around nervously. The hospital car park was surprisingly empty tonight, with only a few cars here and there.

I tapped the car window. "Is everything ok?"

Takigawa winded down the window. "It looks like it. You wanna get in?"

As I opened the door, something made me freeze. The hairs on the back of my neck had suddenly raised, and the feeling of unease clutched me in a cold grip. Frowning, I looked back at the car park. Was someone there? Was someone…watching me?

"John-kun? You ok?" Takigawa called to me from inside the car.

"Umm…" I quickly slipped inside and pulled the car door shut. "I just felt…can you see anyone?"

"Errr…" Takigawa roamed his gaze across the car park. "…Well, I can't see anyone…"

"Hmm…" Even so, it troubled me. Takigawa seemed to pick up on this.

"Let's go." He clicked on his seat belt. "Car parks are really creepy at night."

"I blame those crime dramas." My comment made him laugh.

"Yeah, I'm half expecting either a bomb to go off or a murderer to pop up out of nowhere." He agreed, pulling his car out of the parking space. As the car sped up, I stared out of the window at the car park one last time. Was there really anyone there, or was it just me imagining things?

At that moment, I saw him, by the hospital doors. It was only a brief moment, for the car was already beginning to move fast. But in that moment, I matched his cold, icy gaze as he stood half-concealed by darkness. His mouth twitched into a mocking smile, and he raised his hand as if to wave.

Then the car moved on, and the colleague was snatched out of my sight.

"Wait." I tugged on Takigawa's sleeve. "Did-did you see that?"

Takigawa slowed down the car. "See what?"

"Colleague-san was just there."

"What?" Takigawa began to reverse the car. "Where?"  
"Outside the hospital doors."

However, by the time Takigawa had driven back, the colleague was gone.

"Damn it." I scanned the area. "How does he move so quickly?"

Frowning, Takigawa stopped the car. "Shall we get out and have a look around?"

Somehow, at 10:30pm in a dark, secluded car park, a confrontation with the colleague did not sound like the best idea.

"…Maybe not…"

"You know what, I've got to agree. Let's go. But we know one thing for sure now."

"What's that?"

"Hayate-san's car crash was no accident."

"Yeah." The mention of Hayate filled me with guilt again. "There's no way, not with 'him' lurking around."

_Shibuya Hospital Car Park_

The colleague watched from the shadows as the battered car drove swiftly out of the hospital parking lot. Everything was working perfectly. Of course, there had been a few…mistakes here and there, a few hasty decisions that most certainly could have been improved. However, things were back on track now. It was most amusing to watch John's pitiful attempts to escape from the situation. Even now, he was trying to be so careful. But in the end, it would all be in vain. John was by no means a threat, even with the monk or the young professor helping him. Taking him down would be child's play. More than that, it would be enjoyable. For the colleague had a very good idea on how to make John suffer the most. And the colleague was eager for the day that he would shatter John's life easier than a shard of glass.

Not now, but soon. Very soon indeed.


	18. Chapter 18: Speculation

**(A/N): This was a fun chapter to write :) By the way, to clear up any confusion later on, a vow of celibacy isn't just about not getting married or having sex, but it includes not masturbating or having 'lustful thoughts' or something. It doesn't sound like it makes much sense now, but it will later on. Anyway, enjoy the chapter and thank you for reading and reviewing!**

* * *

Eventually, we chose an old, run down bar with flickering neon lights that threatened to die and leave the bar's name unknown. Inside, the air was musty and thick. The paint on the walls was beginning to peel, and the corners looked like they had traces of damp. A few people were playing at a pool table, but the bar was otherwise empty.

"It's not the best," Takigawa was saying as he sat down on one of the bar stools, "but I know the owner, and he normally lowers the price for me."

I sat on the next bar stool. It was quite tall, and my feet couldn't touch the ground.

"Do you come here often?" I had my ID at the ready, as I was often challenged about my age in situations like these.

"Well, I'm not exactly a regular, but I come here every now and then."

At that moment, a hunched man walked over to us from behind the counter. His clothes were stained and torn at the hems.

Looking at Takigawa, he nodded in greeting. "Takigawa-san." His voice was rough and strained.

"Hamamoto-san." Takigawa greeted him back. "How's business tonight?"

"Fine. Pretty quiet." Hamamoto noticed me, and gave me a long, searching look. After a minute or so, he spoke up.

"ID." Already prepared for this, I showed him my ID immediately. He took it from my hands, and squinted at it.

"…Ok." Satisfied, he passed it back to me. "Who's this, then?" He asked Takigawa.

"This is my friend and co-worker, John Brown."

"You a foreigner, huh? Where from?"

"Australia."

Hamamoto grinned. "For someone who lives in that oven of a country, you're not very tanned."

I shrugged. "It runs in the family."

"Well," Hamamoto grabbed two glasses from a shelf, "What can I get for you tonight? I'm willing to give you and your European friend 20% off."

Takigawa and I shared a quick glance of bemusement at 'European', but we did not comment on it. "Um, I'll have a beer. What do you want?" Takigawa turned to me.

"I'll have the same as you."

"Ok then. Two beers."

As Hamamoto shuffled away to fill the glasses, Takigawa looked at me and whispered, "European?"

I laughed. "That is the first time I've heard someone say Australia is in Europe."

Hamamoto returned with two beers, in tall glasses that looked hastily washed. He placed them down in front of us.

"Enjoy." With that, he walked away.

"Well." Takigawa picked up his glass and took a long gulp. When he finished, he said, "Today's been a crap day, hasn't it?"

"You could say that." I agreed.

"Just as we got closer…" He examined the contents of his glass. "…it feels like we've been pushed back a step." Sighing, he took another drink.

I took a small sip from my glass as he continued. "And I'm pretty sure Naru-kun is still pissed at me."

"Don't worry about it. He doesn't hold grudges for long." I reassured him.

"Yeah…well, he does spend most of his time berating Mai-kun, so… by the way, do you know if there's anything…going on between those two?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Mai-kun's had a crush on Naru-kun for a while now, that's blatantly obvious…and I know that he didn't exactly embrace her affections…but has that changed?"

"Not that I was aware of. Why, do you think it has?"  
"No, but I just feel…it's got to be pretty lonely for Mai-kun, hasn't it?"

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Do you think she'll ever…fall for someone else? I know she gets on pretty well with Yasuhara-kun."

"Well, since this is Mai-kun we're talking about, she is going to be very determined. But who knows, maybe she'll give up. It's not likely."

"Definitely." Mai was most certainly one not to give up easily."

"Actually, talking of Yasuhara-kun…what's his background like?"

"Uhh…I'm not really sure…" Now that I thought about it, I didn't know much about him.

"I mean, I know the kid's smart and he's bound to go to some fancy university, but what's his background like? His family?"

"Well, he went to that strict school, didn't he? What was it…Rokoryo high school? Maybe his parents are…academically focused…?"

"I get what you mean. If they sent their kid to a school like that, I wouldn't be surprised if they're pretty strict themselves. Then again…remember when we did the investigation at Rokoryo high school?"

"Mm, Yasuhara-kun stayed behind quite late to help, didn't he?"

"Yeah, and we never got a word of complaint from his parents. And when he was at hospital, I spoke to his grandmother, but I don't remember really seeing his parents."

"He doesn't mention them much, does he?"

"No…do you think, they're those kind of parents who are really strict, but otherwise completely uninterested in their children? All achievement-focused?"

"Maybe. It's hard to say." As Takigawa took another drink from his glass, I went on. "We don't know much about his personal life. Or really anyone else at SPR."

"You've got that right. Ayako-kun, for example. She went the entire time without any of us knowing her parents owned a hospital, or her…tree powers…"

"What do you think she does? As a job? Other than being a priestess." I wondered.

"That's anyone's guess, really. She buys expensive things, though. After that case at the hotel, I went shopping with her and Mai-kun after our clothes got trashed, and she was buying some pretty expensive stuff. I know she comes from a wealthy background, so maybe her parents support her…And what about this friend she mentioned?"

"Hm?"  
"You know, she said she could stay at a 'friend's' house. I wonder who she was talking about."

"Well, she seemed confident that she could persuade them to heighten their security, so they must be good friends."

"And then there's Masako-kun. She's pretty mysterious, isn't she?" Takigawa remarked.

"Yeah. Doesn't she find it stressful, being on TV? Especially on the subject of the paranormal."

"How so?"

"People are very critical of mediums who go on TV. I wouldn't be surprised if she gets a lot of criticism."

"And she's only 16 as well, she should really be at school." Takigawa looked at me.

"You know, there's something I've just noticed." He began.

"Yeah?"

"We don't know how old Lin-san is."

Now that he mentioned it, I realised this was true. "Huh. I guess we don't. Well, I'd say that he's, what, in his twenties?"

"He's a pretty experienced spiritualist, though, isn't he?"

"Well, maybe he's just very good at what he does."

"I guess…There's not a lot we know about him, is there?"

"Maybe he just doesn't like sharing personal information." I speculated. Takigawa said nothing further, and his suspicion confused me slightly. However, I did not pursue the matter further, and moved onto a different subject instead.

As we talked, it got later and later, a lot quicker than I expected. What's more, Takigawa had finished his fifth glass of beer, while I was only just finishing my second.

"Hey." He called over to Hamamoto. "Can I have something stronger? Like, a vodka or something?"

Hamamoto passed over a bottle and a shot glass, which Takigawa filled with vodka and proceeded to drink.

"Ugh. That's strong." He looked at the glass with disgust. "You know, the drummer in my band can drink a dozen of these without batting an eye."

"Really?"

"Yeah, like it's water or something."

"What're your band members like?" I asked, curious.

"Well, I don't like the singer much, and the drummer just drinks all the time, but I guess the others are ok. Sometimes, it's a bit depressing, you know…just playing in a studio…"

"Do you prefer live concerts?"

"Oh, yeah. Definitely."

"You're quite popular, you know. I think Leiko-kun likes you, I didn't realise she meant you when she kept on talking about 'Norio'."

"Really?" Takigawa hid his interest. "…Did she say anything?"

"Yeah, she said you were…very attractive…" I phrased her words differently.

Takigawa smiled. "Oh…well, I'm glad she thinks that."

"Hey…" I eyed him with mock suspicion. "You're not one of those jerks who sleeps with the fans just to get laid?"

"No, no. Of course not." Takigawa put his hand on his heart. "How could you doubt me, John-kun?" He asked with fake shock. "In all seriousness, though, it's the drummer who's the culprit."

"Well, you know what they say, everyone likes the drummer."

"Really?" Takigawa looked puzzled as he took another shot.

"Oh…sorry, I think that's a western joke." I realised.

"…Do you prefer the drummer?" Takigawa asked mischievously.

"I've never met the drummer." I pointed out. Takigawa was watching me expectantly, and I knew what he wanted me to say. "But…I bet he's not as good as you."

He grinned, having received the answer he was waiting for. "Why thank you. And I'm sure that you're better than all the other priests." He attempted to return the compliment, albeit in a rather strange way. "You're bound to get married and have kids one day, you know."

"Um, I've taken a vow of celibacy." I reminded him.

"What?" Takigawa stared at me in disbelief. "Why?"

"I have to. All Catholic priests have to.

"Oh. Oh yeah. I forgot about that." He pondered this. "Do all Christian priests have to?"

"No, not all of them. Don't Buddhist monks have to take a vow of celibacy?"

"Yeah…" Takigawa ran his finger along the edge of his glass. "Technically…"

"What, don't you stick to that?" I asked, smiling.

"Do you?" Takigawa shot the question back at me.

"Ummm…" I looked at the ceiling. "Sometimes…"

"Oh, good, it's not just me." His comment made me laugh.

After a while, Hamamoto caught our attention.

"Are you planning to drive tonight? Because you've had quite a lot to drink." He pointed out.

"Oh…" Takigawa frowned. "Crap. I forgot about that." He turned to me. "Can you drive?"

"Umm, not very well. I don't have a licence." I admitted.

"Oh well, we'll figure something out." He checked his watch. "It's 1am now...I guess we could head home…" Leaving money on the counter, we left the bar. Outside, the air was freezing.

"It's cold." I remarked, pulling my jacket tighter around me.

"Come on, let's get to the car quickly." Takigawa shivered. Outside a bar opposite us, a man stood leaning against the wall, throwing up. I averted my gaze from him – it wasn't a nice thing to watch.

At the car, Takigawa examined it closely, like he had done at the hospital. While he did this, I kept a look out around us, straining my eyes against the darkness for any signs of the colleague or his workers. So far, I could see no one.

"Alright." Takigawa sat inside the car, turning on the engine. Quickly, I got in too. It was not much warmer inside the car.

Takigawa stared at the road in front of him, blinked hard, and then groaned.

"Well." He rubbed his temple. "I wasn't expecting this."

"What?" I couldn't hide the concern from my voice.

"I don't think I'm going to be driving tonight…" He pointed to a car across the street, and I realised it was a police car.

"Oh…" Inside the car, a police officer was watching the different night clubs and bars intently.

"Well…I don't think we should risk it…Are you sure you can't drive?" Takigawa asked.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure."

Takigawa sighed, and opened the car door. "I guess we're going to have to walk."

"What about your car?"

"Ah, let's just hope it doesn't get stolen. I don't think anyone would want a piece of junk like this, anyway."

By the time we arrived back at Takigawa's apartment, it was 2am.

"You know, I'm really beginning to think that getting drunk wasn't a good idea after all." Takigawa decided as he tried to bring life to his frozen hands.

"I'm certain that it wasn't the original plan." I reminded him.

"Yeah, I know…" While Takigawa fumbled with the door, locking it up for the night, I decided it would be a good time to give the apartment a quick search over for anything unusual. However, nothing looked out of place.

The apartment was only a little less colder than outside, so as I sat down on the sofa, I found myself curling up to try and keep warm.

"Sorry it's so cold in here." I heard Takigawa apologising.

"No, it's ok." I called back to him. As he came around the corner, he complained,

"What's with this weather? It's meant to be getting warmer, and all we've had is rain. It was like that last month too, didn't you find?"

"Ummmm…" I could not answer his question.

Takigawa realised his mistake. "Oh. Oh yeah. Sorry, for a moment there I forgot about the whole…amnesia…thing…"

"Don't worry about it." Sitting down next to me, he reached for the television remote and turned on the news channel.

"…at around 3pm today, a car crash on one of Tokyo's outer roads claimed the lives of two people, Kenta and Michiko Akamine. The head on collision between two cars caused the death of the couple, and another victim is in hospital with serious injuries…"

At once, Takigawa turned off the television. "I'm going to go get a drink." He stood up and headed into the kitchen. "Want one?" He called back over his shoulder.

"No thanks." When he came back with…I wasn't sure what he'd decided to go for this time...I told him,

"…If you get really drunk, _really_ drunk…please don't throw up on me."

Takigawa laughed. "I'm not going to drink that much."

Two more drinks later, Takigawa decided to criticise my Japanese.

"I remember the first time I saw you, and you spoke with that Kansai dialect…that was funny…" He was saying. "You still do it a lot."

"Why is the Kansai dialect so funny to you?" I asked curiously.

"Because it's just so…formal." Takigawa explained. "Comic relief characters speak with Kansai dialects."

A thought occurred to me. "Hey…can you say something for me?"

"Yeah?"

"Say the word…um…'fresh' in English." I knew that, for some reason, there were a lot of Japanese people who struggled to roll their 'r's after a consonant. And I had noticed that Takigawa was one of them.

Takigawa frowned, and after a moment of hesitation, he spoke up. "Fu-resh." He pronounced the 'r' strangely, hardly making the individual consonant audible.

I shook my head. "No, _fresh._"

"Fu-resh."

"Fr." I rolled my 'r'. "Try making that noise. _Frrrr._"

Again, Takigawa paused. His face was etched with concentration. "Fffff…"

I nodded encouragingly.

"Fffffff…Fu-_resh_."

I could not help but laugh slightly, as Takigawa continued to try and pronounce the word properly, his brow furrowed.

"Fu-re…fu-re…" He looked quite frustrated, which only served to make me laugh more.

"Takigawa-kun, you can stop now if you want. I was just teasing you." I told him, but he seemed determined.

"No! I have to pronounce this…ffffffffffffffffff…" I waited expectantly for him to attempt again.

"Ffffff…ffffffff…fu…fu…"

"Frrr." I whispered. "Frrrrr. Fresh."

"…Fu-resh." At his last failure, Takigawa threw his hands up in defeat, as I burst out laughing again. Thankfully, he did not seem offended.

"Is this payback for all those times I laughed at your dialect?" He asked, grinning.

"Maybe."

"Well, I have to say, it's pretty impressive for a westerner to be able to speak Japanese so fluently. I know a lot of people struggle with it, right?"

"Oh, yeah." I nodded. "Reading is harder. I think the fact there are three alphabets doesn't help."

"How many languages can you speak?" Takigawa asked curiously.

"Three. German, Japanese and Spanish. I know a bit of sign language, too, and some Latin."

"Latin? Isn't that a dead language?"

"Well…I'd call it an ancient language…I only really use it for exorcisms."

"Say something in it. Say 'hello'."

"Salve." He seemed to find this impressive.

"And you can do sign language?"

"Yeah, the British sign language."

"How do you say, 'my name is…' then whatever?"

"Well, you do this for 'name'." With my index and middle finger together, I placed them on my forehead, and then moved them out in front of me, almost in a salute.

"After that, you point to yourself." I did this, while Takigawa watched on in fascination.

"Now, you have to spell out your name. For me, it would go like this." First, I touched the tip of the middle finger on my left hand with my right index finger, then moved the index finger down the middle finger and down my palm, then curved at the bottom and travelled up my thumb.

"That would be 'j'." I explained. Next, I touched the tip of the ring finger on my left hand.

"That's 'o'." Then, brushing the palms of my hands together in one motion, I told him,

"This is 'h'." Finally, I moved the index and middle finger on my right hand together, and placed them on my left palm.

"That's 'n'."

"So, do the weird salute thing…" Takigawa copied me, although he raised his hand much higher than I had. "Then…point to yourself…but how would you spell 'Takigawa?" He asked. Since his name was so long, it took a while for me to show him. The fact that he had drunk 9 alcoholic drinks tonight made it trickier for Takigawa to copy, and I found myself having to guide his hands and fingers while he spelt out his name.

"So…for 'i' you point here…" He pointed to his index finger.

"Ah, that's 'e'." I moved his other finger along to the middle finger. "That's 'i'."

"And…what was 'g' again?"

"Fold your hands into fists." He seemed confused at what I had just said, so I closed his hand into a fist for him. When I moved onto the next hand, he opened the fist I had just closed.

"No, they both have to be fists." I told him, closing it up again.

"Oh, ok…"

"Now, you hold your left fist out in front of you…" I pulled it out for him, "and you bring the other one down on top of it."

Takigawa paused for a minute as he comprehended this. Eventually, he managed to do the right action.

"Good." After that, he managed to get to the end of his name without too much problem.

"What else can you teach me?" He asked.

"Ummm…ok, to say 'how are you?', you do this." I brushed the top of my chest near my shoulders with my hands, bringing them upwards and away from my body, then into two thumbs up.

Takigawa nodded slowly.

"What do you want to say in response?" I asked him.

"Ummm…drunk."

Smiling, I held out my palm and placed my index and middle finger on top, then moved them in circular motions. After that, I went on to show him a variety of other emotions, from happy to sad, and angry to in love.

"Ok, well…" This time, Takigawa asked me how I was in sign language. In response, I raised my hands near my head and moved them.

"Worried." I told him. Strangely, despite the amount of alcohol in his system, Takigawa suddenly looked very serious. He stared at me intently, as if willing me to go on.

I put my hand over my heart and patted it quickly, like a beating heart. This meant 'scared'.

Takigawa shuffled closer to me and leant towards me. "Why are you scared?" He whispered.

"Because someone is trying to kill me." I whispered back.

"Oh yeah…" Takigawa gazed at me. "Why else?"

I sighed. "…I've changed. Not in a good way. I'm always scared and I don't know why, and it worries me. I'm worried about what happened to me. After that flashback today…whatever happened, it was bad. And I'm scared, because I don't want to remember what happened, but eventually, I don't think that will be a choice. But I hate it, because I just feel so…pathetic."

"John, it's only natural. There's no need to feel 'pathetic'." Takigawa tried to reassure me.

"…I can't sleep in a bed." I found myself admitting. "It makes me feel too exposed. I have to curl up in the corner of the room in order to fall asleep."

Takigawa could not think of something to say to this, so I added, "Try and tell me that's not pathetic."

Letting out a long breath, Takigawa looked away, to the side. "You know…I know how it feels. Not on your level, but I do know how it feels."

"…How so?"

"Well, when I was about…9 years old, my grandmother got cancer. She passed away very quickly."

"Oh…I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine. But, about a year later, my aunt got cancer as well. She died, too. So then I heard my parents talking about it, and I found out that cancer is hereditary in my family. From then on, I was terrified. Every time I felt the slightest bit ill, or I noticed something slightly wrong with me, I panicked. I was terrified I had cancer."

"Were you…a hypochondriac? Well, not completely, but that was your behaviour with cancer?"

"Yeah. The thing was, when my father found out the reason why I was constantly scared whenever I felt sick, he berated me. If anything, he was angry. And it made me feel like the most pathetic person on earth." He stared at the floor for a moment, before speaking up again.

"Look, when you're scared, it's very easy to feel pathetic. The thing it, we're all in the same boat when it comes to fear. And…I don't know, somehow, knowing that you're not the only one to feel that way helps a bit. Well, I find that, anyway." He smiled at me, and this time, I smiled back. His words were comforting.

"Thanks."

"Hey, don't worry about it. Wow. Being drunk and giving advice at the same time." Takigawa grinned. "I think that's pretty impressive."

I nodded in agreement. "Definitely."

"Well, I have had a fair bit of experience…" Takigawa admitted. Then he frowned. "Hm. You know, earlier I was feeling very tipsy. Now I don't. Now I just feel a headache coming on."

"Maybe the affects have…worn off already or something?" It was the only explanation I could think of.

"What? Alcohol doesn't work that way…unless…" He looked genuinely concerned. "Have I become alcohol resistant or something?!"

"Well, when you've drunk alcohol and you begin talking about…matters like we were, often you begin to feel worse than better. Anyway, you should eat something or have some water to drink. To try and avoid a bad hangover."

In the end, I decided that some dry toast would probably be best for Takigawa. I stood in the kitchen, waiting for the bread to spring up from the toaster. As I did this, I heard the sound of people speaking on the television again, changing each time Takigawa switched channels. I was thankful to him. Speaking my fears had been difficult to do, but Takigawa had not rejected me or scorned at them. Half of me had almost been expecting him to. It was a relief that he had been so kind to me. What's more, he had told me some very personal information, and though perhaps the alcohol had loosened his tongue, that did not change the fact that it msut have been hard for him to say it, too. And like he had mentioned, knowing that I wasn't the only one who felt that way made me feel a bit better.

In the other room, I heard music beginning to play. It was a lively, Japanese pop song, with lyrics that went too quickly for me to understand. Swiftly, it was changed to a screaming rock dong, only to be changed again to a slow, morose song. The toast popped up from the toaster, making me jump slightly, and I lifted the pieces onto a plate. Bringing them into the living room, I saw that Takigawa was still on the sofa, with the television remote in his hands. The screen was blue, with the words 'Audio Only' in Japanese at the centre.

"Oh, is that a music station?" I asked.

"Yeah. I don't have many T.V. channels, but I have a lot of radio channels." Takigawa explained as I sat down next to him, placing the toast and a glass of water on the table. "I like to keep up to date with the music world as much as possible." He changed the channel again, and a song played, but the lyrics were in English.

"_When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me…_"

"Oh, this is that really obscure music channel that plays a load of English songs…" Takigawa did not change the channel this time.

"Do you like any English bands?" I asked, as the song continued,

"_Whisper words of wisdom, let it be!_"

"Well, I like the Beatles. They're about the only English band I know. Do you like them?"

"They're good, I guess."

"Good? They're great!" As the chorus came on, Takigawa began to sing along. I was impressed that he was able to do this, despite the song being in English.

"Let it be, let it be! Let it be, let it be!"

I joined in with him. "Whisper words of wisdom, let it be!"

Before I knew it, it was 4am and Takigawa had fallen asleep on my shoulder. I was unsure exactly how this had happened – we had been watching a late night show, and now he was completely asleep. I felt like I could not make a single movement, lest he woke up. Instead, my own eyes began to grow heavy.

_Today is February 14__th__. I am walking out of the library, burdened with what I have found. The death of Itsuke is still weighing heavily in my mind, and his last wish continues to echo in my thoughts again and again. Save Sayomi, from whatever had happened to her. It had taken me a while to find the record that Itsuke had told me about, but after days in the library, I had finally found it: the report written by Friedrich Howe. Reading it, the situation he had talked about seemed identical to Sayomi's. This psychiatric ward…Mattaku Psychiatric Ward…there was most certainly something wrong with it. However, I hadn't found a single thing in the library or on the internet relating to the ward. It was practically non-existent._

_So far, I have not spoken to anyone about the matter. Not Amaya or Leiko, no one at SPR, not Father Toujou, not the police, not even any of my siblings or Sinead. But now I had scratched the surface of this ward, telling someone seemed the best option._

_In the hospital, I am completely preoccupied with my thoughts on the ward. Amaya and Leiko seem to notice this._

"_You've been very quiet." Amaya remarks. "Is something the matter?"_

_Somehow, I find myself not mentioning the Mattaku ward. "Oh, I was just thinking about someone."_

"_Who?" Leiko asks._

"_He went to the church sometimes, but he passed away a week ago."_

"_Oh, I'm sorry." Amaya pats my shoulder. "What was his name?"_

"_Istuke Watanabe. Actually, he died here."_

_Leiko frowned. "You mean, he was a patient?"  
I nodded. "Yeah. The police said that, apparently, the brakes failed in his car. He crashed into an old office building. No one else was hurt in the incident, but he didn't make it."_

"_Poor man." Amaya shook her head sadly. "That's very unfortunate. Does he have any relatives?"_

_At once, I thought of Sayomi. "Yes, a granddaughter."_

"_Give her our condolences."_

_The comment fills me with anxiety. After reading the report Itsuke had given me, it seems likely that Sayomi is currently in Mattaku Psychiatric Ward. But if I could find no information on the place, no way of contact, then how am I meant to find her? And considering the dire tone to Howe's report, will I even be able to find her, or will she just…disappear like the other patient, Chekskov, had? Whatever happens, I can't let that happen. I need to find her. _

"_I will do."_

_I decide to go to the police and see if I can consult someone about the problem. Making my way to the police station, I wonder what they will make of the matter. Will they reject it? Itsuke certainly seemed to think so. Considering the matter included mental illnesses, I am not surprised about his fear. Mental illness is often an issue that is swept under the rug and ignored a lot these days, so there is a chance that the police decide they want nothing to do with the matter. _

_Eventually, after a long time of waiting in the police station, I am met by an officer, who takes me to a questioning room. _

"_So…Brown-san, you said you had found out some troubling information from a patient who passed away a week ago?" The officer sits opposite me, a note pad at the ready. He seems less than eager to listen to me, but I recount what has happened anyway. He listens to me in interest, writing down a few notes every now and again. Even when I tell him about the events that happened in Sayomi's hospital, he does not seem too disgruntled, though he shifts uncomfortably and pauses at the first mention. _

_However, as soon as I mention Mattaku Psychiatric Ward, his entire demeanour changes. He seems to freeze. His posture becomes hunched, and he swallows nervously._

"…_W-what was that?" He asks._

"_Mattaku Psychiatric Ward." I repeat myself. Immediately, the officer puts away his note pad._

"_I'm sorry, but I can't help you."_

"_What? Why not?"_

"_From what you've told me, it just sounds like a…concerned man who was just worried about his granddaughter. I'm sure you'll find that she is perfectly happy at this new ward. The brakes failing was just a coincidence, as was that report. Now, if you'll excuse me…" He stands up and leaves the room abruptly._

_I leave the police station with more worries than I originally had when I first entered. It seems like the police wasn't going to help me. I had tried to talk to another officer, but she was just as edgy as the first. It was the name Mattaku – it seemed to spark some kind of panic whenever I had mentioned it. This fact only seemed to put Sayomi's situation in more peril._

_My mobile phone begins to ring in my pocket. Checking the screen, I see that it is Kazuki calling me._

"_Hello?"_

"_Hey, it's me." He greets me. "Where are you?"_

"_I'm outside the police station."_

"_What?" He sounds concerned. "Why? What happened? Are you ok?"_

"_I'm fine, Kazuki. Don't worry." I reassure him. "There was just something I needed to take care of."_

"…_Ok." He still sounds anxious. "What exactly is it?"_

"_Um…I can't really talk over the phone about it…do you want to meet up?"_

_We meet up in a café, as the light drains from the sky. It is about 5 o'clock. I had changed my shift to an earlier time for the past few days, trying to use as much as my free time in the library. Kazuki is sitting opposite me, stirring a cup of coffee absent-mindedly. He has been quite distracted recently, and acting…almost over-protectively of me. We seem to be getting a few strange looks from those around us._

"_Hey…" I tug on Kazuki's sleeve, waking him from his daze. "Why is everyone staring at us?"_

_Confused, he looks around the café, where everyone immediately hides averts their gaze. "Oh." It takes him a moment to realise. "I get it." He grins at me. "Don't you know what day it is today?"_

"_No…"_

_He chuckles. "It's Valentine's day."_

_Of course, it is the 14__th__ February… "I completely forgot about that." I admit. Then a thought occurs to me. "Wait. So why are they staring at us?"_

"_They think that we're…" Kazuki gestures with his hands. "Together."_

_I flush. "Together…together?"_

_He nods._

"_Why do they think that?"_

"_Well, everyone else has come here as a couple, so they just assume the same." He takes a sip from his cup. "But tell me. Why were you at the police station?"_

_I sigh. "You see…remember Itsuke Watanabe?"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_He died a week ago."_

"_What?" Kazuki looks shocked. "How?"_

"_He was driving his car and his brakes failed."_

"_Wait…was that when you were on the phone to him and then you looked all freaked out and ran off?"_

"_Yes. But…you know I mentioned his granddaughter to you?"_

"_Sayomi, right?"_

"_Well, she's not in a normal hospital. She's in a psychiatric ward right now, because of her paranoia. And she was transferred to another ward after she…" I lean forwards. "She saw a kidnapping, that might be the best way to describe it. But because she has paranoia, no one believed her, and now she's been 'transferred' to a different psychiatric ward. No one would let Itsuke see her, so he came to me after Church. Shortly after, he died in the car accident."_

_Hearing this information, Kazuki looks shocked. "So you went to the police about this? What did they say?"_

"_It was very strange. At first, they seemed sceptical but they listened to what I had to say. As soon as I mentioned the name of the ward that I think Sayomi is in, they began to act very uneasy and stopped listening to me."_

_At this information, Kazuki looks even more worried. "This sounds bad, John. For the police to act that way, there must be something wrong. Are you sure you should be looking into this?"_

"_I have to. I promised Itsuke I would find Sayomi, just before he died. If I didn't, I wouldn't be able to live with that on my mind."_

"_Ok…but you have to promise me something. You have to promise that you'll be careful, and if it starts to get dangerous, just stop." His tone is very serious._

"_What do you mean?" _

"_You know the phrase 'curiosity killed the cat?' This situation sounds like that. I don't want you to end up getting caught up in something dangerous."_

"_What makes you think it might be dangerous?" I ask._

"_This man, Itsuke Watanabe, he was looking into it, I assume. And now he's dead. That doesn't sound like a coincidence to me."_

_His warning has reason. "I guess…but what should I do? I can't find any record of this ward, apart from one article where a German reporter mentioned it."_

"_How about you go talk to this German reporter?" Kazuki suggests._

"_He's dead. I found his obituary in the library."_

"_What? How did he die?"_

"_Car accident. Failed brakes."_

_Kazuki looks even more anxious now. "Look, this is sounding very dangerous. You shouldn't be getting involved with this ward, especially without the help of the police."_

"_I can ring my cousin." I tell him. This confuses him._

"_Ring your cousin? Why?"_

"_She's a…liaison officer. She has a lot of links with police all over the world. She can help if things start to get dangerous."_

"_But where is she now?"_

"_Last time I checked, she was in the USA."_

"_Then you can't rely on her, not until she's here in Japan."_

"_What, do you think I should ask her to come over?"_

"_Honestly, I think you should stop looking into this ward." His insistence strikes me, but I say nothing. He takes hold of my hands._

"_I don't want anything to happen to you." His words sound sincere. "What if you end up in an accident, just like the other two? What if you end up dead?"_

_I don't know what to say to this, so Kazuki grips my hands tighter._

"_Please. You've got to be careful."_

_Sighing, I smile sadly at him._

"_I'll try."_

_Later that evening, I am sitting at home, my laptop out in front of me. I have typed the word 'Mattaku' into a search engine, but I have yet to press enter. Kazuki's words trouble me, for he is right. There is a chance that I might be dragging myself into a dangerous situation. There is a chance that it might end badly for me. But what about Sayomi? I cannot just give up on her. What if she is in trouble? No, I can't just stop now. _

_Pressing enter, the results consist of various urban dictionaries and Japanese translation sites. Nothing on the psychiatric ward. As I scroll through the various links, the phone begins to ring. Quickly, I pick it up._

"_Hello?"_

"_Hey…" It is Kazuki again. "John…can I talk to you?"_

"_Sure." He sounds strange. "What's wrong?"_

"_Can you come over?" His request is unexpected, but I say,_

"_Alright, if you want. Are you ok?"_

"_Yeah…I just want…" He mumbles something that I don't understand._

"_Ok, I'll come over then."_

_When I reach his apartment and knock on the door, I wait five minutes and no one answers. Frowning, I knock harder._

"_Kazuki?" I call. When no one answers, I try turning the door handle. The door opens with no problem. _

"_Kazuki?" I call his name again, walking into the apartment. And there I see him – sitting on the sofa, a bottle of alcohol in his hands. He is staring at the floor, and barely notices me. I pat him on the shoulder gently._

"_Kazuki?" I whisper his name. He looks up, startled, and when he realises that I am there, relief seems to wash over him._

"_John!" He stands up and wraps his arms around me in a very tight and unexpected embrace. I can smell alcohol on his breath. "You're here!" _

"_Ummm…" I pat his back. "Yeah. I'm here." He does not remove his arms, so we stand like that for a while, in a silence that only I seem to notice. After a few minutes, Kazuki pulls away reluctantly._

"_I'm sorry. I didn't hear you knock." He tells me._

"_That's ok." I sit down, observing the bottle of alcohol that was knocked over onto the floor. "So, you said you wanted to talk about something?"_

_Kazuki sighs, and sits down next to me. "Did you talk to your cousin, then?"_

_I shake my head. "Well, there's the time difference, for one thing. And she's probably out."_

"_How do you know?"_

"_It's Valentine's day, so she'll have gone out with Conor."_

"_Who?"_

"_Her boyfriend."_

"_Oh." Kazuki sighs. "Well, good for her." He stares at me. "…Did you…talk to anyone else about your problem?"_

"_No, not yet. Why?"_

_Kazuki shrugs. "I was just wondering." He stares down at his feet and says nothing for a while. It is as if he wants to speak, but is too afraid._

"_Kazuki?" I say softly. "Is something the matter?" To this, he looks up and stares at me._

"_You know something?" He begins to speak. "I was planning to spend today alone, despairing over my loneliness while everyone else goes out together. But…" I smiles weakly at me. "Now, we can both despair over our loneliness. Together."_

_I frown. "What do you mean?"_

"_You're lonely." His confident statement doesn't irritate me, but almost…panics me instead._

"_I'm sorry?"_

"_You're lonely. Don't try and deny it. I know you are." Kazuki stands up and walks out to the balcony, so I follow him. He's acting very strange. Out on the balcony, he leans on the railings, looking out at the city. I join him._

"…_It's difficult, isn't it?" He speaks up after a moment of quiet, with only the traffic from down below. "It's difficult in this country."_

"_Well, yeah, I guess…I mean, it's so different from our own culture, it can be very…stressful sometimes."_

"_More than that." He turns to me. "I have to confess; when I was in hospital, I watched you a lot."_

"_Because that doesn't sound creepy." A smile flickers at his lips for a moment before he carries on._

"_And I noticed how everyone treated you. Some people were friendly enough to you. But a lot of people, a lot of the doctors, seemed to treat you like you were stupid or like you weren't worthy of being there."_

_I sigh, and look out to the roads below. "Yeah. They do." I agree quietly._

"_And it seemed a lot of people took advantage of you. Lots of people do that, don't they?"_

_His words are true, and they fill me with sadness. "Yes."_

"_It's because you are so kind and…so willing."_

"_In other words, I'm just a huge pushover." I interrupt._

"_It's more than that. You're always being kind to people, and you seem to expect nothing out of it. So when people hurt you or use you, they just think, 'Oh, it's only John, he won't mind.' Or 'he'll get over it. He doesn't hold grudges.' No one means to, but they just turn you into an object with no emotions. A handy item to be used and then ignored. But that's not right." Each sentence is true. "Because you do have emotions. You have feelings. And it hurts. There's only so much kindness you can put into the world without getting any kindness back, and it makes you so lonely. So why don't you ever say anything? Why don't you ever speak up for yourself?" _

_I don't say anything. I don't even meet his eye. He carries on._

"_You're right, John. You were right. You can't carry on living like this, filled with loneliness. That's what you told me. Now I'm telling you."_

_Finally, I turn to face him. "…I am lonely." I still can't look him in the eye. "I am so lonely. But...I don't know…I don't know why I never say anything about it. I can't. All I do is hide behind a smile and keep it to myself. It's always been that way, even more since I came here. After all, who wants to hear what a foreigner wants to say? Who even cares?" I stop abruptly, realising how much I have said. My confession both seems to lift a burden from me, and drag me further down at the same time. The latter emotion always prevents me from ever sharing this information, and it is with fear that I look up at Kazuki. How will he react?_

_But he does not scorn at me or mock me. He just looks sad. _

"…_It hurts, doesn't it?" He speaks quietly. "It really hurts. And no one realises, and it just carries on in a vicious cycle."_

_As I nod, he pulls me into an embrace again. "Well, we can be lonely together now."_

_The evening rapidly fades into night, and before I know it, the time has reached midnight. I had been lying on Kazuki's sofa, and I must have drifted to sleep at some point without realising. Rubbing my eyes, I sit up, and look around for Kazuki. I find him in the kitchen, at the table. He is sitting in front of a small radio, with his arms and head resting on the surface of the table. A song is playing softly, one in English that I don't recognise. _

_As I enter the room, he looks up. "You fell asleep." I see another bottle on the table, its contents drained._

"_You're still awake."_

_He nods, and stands up. "John. You have to listen to me." His words are slurred. "You've got to stop."_

"_What?"_

"_You've got to stop." He puts his hands on my shoulders, almost missing them altogether. "Stop researching it. Stop looking into it."_

"_Into what?"_

"_They'll take you away, and I don't want you to go. They'll make you crash…or they'll take you away…and I don't want them to. Stay with me. Please." _

_He's not making much sense. "Kazuki, who are you talking about?"_

"_The others. They're not like me. They like to make people hurt." _

_At once, I am filled with suspicion. "Kazuki," I speak slowly and clearly, "Who are you talking about?"_

"_Stay with me. Don't go, please don't go. Please don't go."_

"_I'm not going anywhere, ok? You don't have to worry." This seems to ease him._

"_Ok. Ok." He nods vigorously. "Ok. But you've got to stop. Stop looking into it."_

"_Stop looking into what?"_

"_Stop looking into Mattaku." I freeze. Something is wrong. Something here is wrong. Did he say…Mattaku?_

"…_Ok. I'll stop." I need to calm him down. "But…I think you need to come and lie down." All the while, my mind is spinning at Kazuki's comment. _

_I manage to get him to sit down on the sofa. "How much have you had to drink while I was asleep?"_

"_I don't know." He waves his hand dismissively, almost batting me in the face as he does so. "It doesn't…I don't…know…" _

"_Well, I think you should have some water and then go to sleep."_

_He nods in understanding. "Go to sleep."_

"_Have some water first, or you'll be sick tomorrow." _

_However, it seems Kazuki isn't listening. He is playing with my hair distractedly, so I repeat myself._

"_Do you want me to go and get you some water?"_

"_No." He rests his head on my shoulder. "Just stay."_

_Eventually, he falls asleep. As he does so, his words echo across in my head. A feeling of doubt gnaws inside of me. No matter how I try and ignore it, I know that something is wrong._

_Then it clicks. I never told Kazuki the name of the psychiatric ward, and yet he had clearly used the name 'Mattaku'. So how had he found out? How had he known to use the name Mattaku?_

_What's more, the way he had spoken about it…he had mentioned 'the others'. Who exactly was he talking about?_

_At that moment, a suspicion sparks in my head. An ugly thought that fills me with cold dread. _

_Is Kazuki more involved in this situation than I first realised? _

_And does he know the secrets surrounding Mattaku Psychiatric Ward? _


	19. Chapter 19: Discovery

**(A/N): Hey! We're almost at chapter 20! Wow...I remember when I first uploaded this...ha, that was a while ago :L My sister has suggested that we make a video blog, and she said that I should do questions and answers about this, so if you do have any questions about Amnesia, feel free to put them in your reviews. By the way, this will make sense later, but the 'saved your life' thing is a game that said sister likes to play. She's 18, just so you know.**

* * *

The next morning, I woke up to find myself lying on Takigawa's sofa with his jacket covering me. Slowly, I pushed myself into an upright position. The most recent memory that I had recovered left me confused and suspicious. What had Kazuki known about Mattaku? What secrets had he been hiding? It seemed the only way we were going to find out was to visit his apartment, and see if he had left anything behind.

Hurrying into the kitchen, I saw Takigawa sitting at the table, looking miserable. In front of him was an open pack of painkillers, and he was eating a slice of bread very slowly.

"Good morning." I greeted him. He nodded in response.

"How are you feeling?"

"Ugggh…" He rubbed his head. "It's not the worst hangover I've had, but still…"

I sat down next to him. "When did you get up? I didn't notice –"

Takigawa, who had been drinking a glass of water, choked and began to cough. I patted him on the back until he managed to control his coughing fit.

"…Sorry." He swallowed the water. "I, um…sorry about that."

"You can't help a coughing fit if you choke, Takigawa-kun."

"Um…no, I meant…last night…" He looked embarrassed. "I, er…fell asleep…"

"Don't worry about it." I saved him from his abashed apology.

"So…" Takigawa seemed keen to move on the conversation. "Did you…remember anything?"

I nodded. "Yes. And I think that we should definitely visit Kazuki's apartment."

"How come?"  
"He…I think he knew something about Mattaku ward. I told him about Sayomi-san's situation, and then later, he was talking about it more. He was…very concerned about me investigating it, and he slipped up."

"He slipped up?"

"Yeah, I hadn't told him the name of the ward, but he used the name 'Mattaku' anyway. So, he must have heard of it before. But how? I could barely find a thing on it – we could barely find a thing on it – so unless he had read Howe's report himself, which I really doubt, there was no way he could have known."

Takigawa nodded, his expression troubled. "Well, we should definitely check it out anyway."

Outside, the air was much warmer and lighter than the previous night, and the heat was pleasantly gentle. The sky had cleared and while it seemed everyone on the streets of Tokyo were appreciating the change of weather, Takigawa seemed uncomfortable with the brightness of the day.

"I swear, all it takes is a few drinks and the next day, I'm like a freaking vampire…" I heard him mutter under his breath. We were walking on the streets of Tokyo, relocating Takigawa's car that we had been forced to abandon the night before. Today, our pace was much quicker and it did not take long to reach the car. Despite my worries the previous night, the car had not been stolen and remained untouched from the night before.

"Right, let's see…" Takigawa began his routine examination of the car, searching it thoroughly. A thought occurred to me as he did this.

"Hey…you don't think the car has been…bugged? Like the duffle bag?"

This stopped Takigawa in his tracks. "You know…" He gave the interior another careful search, but shook his head.

"I can't see anything…" He stepped out. "But it might not be a good idea to discuss anything important while we're driving."

Before we could get in, my mobile began to ring. Considering the last time there had been a mobile in my jacket pocket, it made me jump, but I quickly answered.

"Hello?"

"This is Kazuya." His tone was easy to recognise. "I wanted to ask something. Where is Brooks-san's apartment?"

"Oh, we were just planning to go there ourselves."

"Come by the office and meet us. It'll be more efficient with more people."

At the SPR office, we had barely walked in before Kazuya was ushering us out again. Lin was by his side, but other than the two of them, no one was there. Remembering Kazuya's instructions to everyone the day before, this made sense. We quickly headed outside, with Lin at the front, constantly watching all those who passed us.

"Are you sure you know the way?" Kazuya had asked me repeatedly.

"Yes, I can remember going there quite a few times." I had reassured him. Even so, Kazuya still looked unsure.

"You haven't had any trouble since yesterday, have you?" He asked.

"No, don't worry." Again, it seemed that I could not ease him of his concern. "Has everyone else been ok?"

"They all said they were fine. But knowing them, if something were to happen to them, they probably wouldn't even notice."

In one of the company vans, I directed Lin as he drove the streets of Tokyo. His driving was careful and steady, and much safer in comparison to Yasuhara's. Looking out through the black tinted windows, the memories of cases flashed in my mind. These vans were used to transport all the different equipment, and I remembered the long processes of setting up and then packing away the various cameras. Somehow, I began to wonder, with the company having been halted, if we would ever have the chance to do that again. With my current situation, I wondered if I would ever be able to work another case with the company. The things we had all seen together, the horrors and the miracles, each fight and each reconciliation, every cruelty and every kindness…Honestly, I missed it.

Following my directions, we began to come nearer to Kazuki's apartment, and I could not hide a feeling of anxiety. What would we find there? Anything to help us uncover more information about Mattaku?

At last, we reached it: the tall, looming apartment. As I stepped out, I looked up to the top floor, where I could see the balcony.

"Do you think the place is untouched?" Takigawa asked, standing next to me.

"I don't know…it would be strange if colleague-san hadn't given the place a search himself, to get rid of any evidence…I mean, he burnt down Watanabe-san's apartment, so I would think he'd at least search the place if he was willing to do something that drastic."

"Well, we'll just have to make sure we give it a thorough search." Kazuya began to walk towards the apartment. "What floor is it?"

"The top floor."

Unsurprisingly, the apartment door was locked.

"Great." Takigawa frowned, leaning against the wall. "How are we going to get in?"

Lin, who was carrying a large bag, moved closer to the door, observing it closely. Kazuya asked him, "If there's a trap or a trigger on the door, will you be able to tell?"

Getting down on the floor, Lin looked under the door. "So far, I can't see anything." He stood up and opened up the bag he had been carrying. Taking out a small mirror, he angled it under the door.

"What kind of…trap do you mean?" I asked Kazuya.

"If colleague-san was willing to burn down Watanabe-san's apartment, then I'm not taking any chances here."

"What, you don't really think that, I don't know, the place will blow up if we open the door?" Takigawa did not bother to hide the scepticism from his voice.

"We cannot rule out any single possibility, not when we are dealing with a sadist who acts in ways we can't understand yet very methodically. I'm sure you have told this before." Likewise, Kazuya did not bother to hide the anger from his voice.

After a few minutes of examination, Lin deemed the door to be harmless.

"No traps?" Kazuya asked.

"None by the door." Lin confirmed.

"That doesn't solve how we'll get in." Takigawa pointed out.

In response, Lin took out a small wire of some sort and stood by the lock on the door. Within a few seconds, there was a click and the door opened.

"I'm going in first. Stay out here." Lin did not wait for Kazuya's approval, and moved inside the apartment. However, Kazuya ignored his request and followed him. Takigawa frowned and followed Kazuya, saying, "That's very hypocritical, you know, lecturing us on being careful when you walk straight into a potentially dangerous location."

"Ummm…" I called to Takigawa, "Shouldn't we, you know…wait outside? Like Lin-san said?"

When Takigawa failed to answer me, I walked cautiously into the apartment. At once, the familiarity hit me like a bullet, and I was overwhelmed with flashes of memory for a brief second. The emptiness and plainness of the room, the bare walls, even a scent that my mind associated with him…it all sent pictures through my brain in a single surge.

Shaking my head of the memories, I walked into the main room, where I saw Lin looking between us with a scowl.

"I thought I told you to wait outside." His anger was mainly directed at Kazuya. "What if something had happened?"

"Then you would have protected me." I had heard this argument between the two of them before. "And nothing has happened."

"That doesn't mean this area is safe."

"Then you should get back to searching, shouldn't you?"

Lin looked at Takigawa and me. "What are your excuses, then?"

"Uhhh…" Takigawa pointed to Kazuya. "I was just following him."

Now Lin waited for my answer. "…Sorry. We'll be more careful in the future."

As Lin searched the apartment, we waited without moving in the slightest, as we had been instructed to. Kazuya did not look happy about this, but he obeyed Lin's orders anyway.

"What do you remember about being here?" Kazuya decided to question me instead.

"Umm…well, I can't see that much has changed here…Kazuki never really had much furniture, it's always been a bit…empty."

"You never saw anything personal of his, did you?"

"Not really…"

"If anything was out of place, would you be able to tell?"

"I think so."

Kazuya looked to Lin, who had just finished searching Kazuki's bedroom. "Well? Is it safe?"

"Safe? Yes. If the place has been bugged, though…that's a different matter."

"Is there any way to tell?"  
"No. We'd need a bug detector for that."

Kazuya sighed, troubled. "That's…unfortunate. Nonetheless, we can't leave this place without a thorough search."

And so, our search began. Once more, Lin searched the bedroom, accompanied by Kazuya this time, leaving Takigawa and me to scout the main room. It felt…disrespectful, rifling through Kazuki's belongings like this, but I knew that it was necessary. Whether I liked it or not, Kazuki had known something about Mattaku. We had to discover what he knew and how he knew about it, before the colleague did and destroyed any evidence – if he hadn't done already.

"So…did you come here a lot?" Takigawa asked, trying not to sound too inquisitive.

"Um…I guess…" It was not a topic I felt was open for discussion. Takigawa, sensing this, quickly changed the subject.

"Ok, so if Brooks-san knew something about Mattaku, maybe he had a record of it somewhere, where would he keep this record?"

So far, we had not found anything. Nothing looked out of place, but then again, neither had my apartment, which, I was certain, had been searched.

"Well, probably somewhere completely out of reach or notice from anyone who might visit. If he hadn't had been under the influence of alcohol, he probably wouldn't have mentioned Mattaku. When I first mentioned the situation to him, he showed no form of recognition."

"What do you mean?"

"He knew about Mattaku, and from his warning, it sounds like he had at least heard about these 'transfers' and disappearances that Howe talked about in his report. Yet when I told him about Sayomi-san's situation, he didn't look shocked or act like he recognised the situation. That means either he didn't make the connection at the time, which I highly doubt, or he automatically hid his recognition. If that's the case, then it would make sense that whatever he knew about Mattaku, he wanted to keep it a secret, even the fact he had heard of it. So if he did have a source or record about Mattaku, he would have made sure to keep it hidden."

"Oh, I see…" Takigawa roamed his gaze around the apartment. "Where do you think he could have hidden it?"

"Somewhere that no one would expect or think to look, especially someone who was searching for it."

Takigawa stared up at the ceiling. "Well, we should definitely look up. Kenji-san taught us that lesson."

"Hmm…" Where else would no one think to look? Kazuki's apartment was very minimalistic. Any compartments would be found very easily, so I doubted Kazuki would have placed anything important in a safe or other compartment. The walls seemed an unlikely hiding place. Even the ceiling seemed improbable.

Then my eye fell upon the glass doors. What about the balcony?

Sliding open the door, I stepped outside onto the balcony, where a cold breeze hit me. Again, the nostalgic familiarity made me hesitate. Down below, the streets of Tokyo were as busy as ever.

The balcony was not particularly big, and the floor was concrete. Hiding something out here would be difficult, and impractical – which was why it would be such a good place to hide something important, for no one would think to look out here. I let my gaze roam around the balcony, from the floor up to the roof of the apartment.

"Hey, what are you doing out here?" Takigawa joined me, a puzzled expression on his face.

"Where would you hide something out here?" I asked.

Takigawa looked around. "Ummm…I don't think you can…"

I looked down at the concrete floor. There were a few cracks, but nothing looked like it had been removed…so maybe not under the concrete floor…

Takigawa stood by the railings. "Wow. I forgot we were so high up." He leaned over the railings fearlessly.

"Ah, please be careful." Just watching him made me feel nervous. I walked over to join him, his antics suddenly making the drop seem a lot bigger than it had before.

"Relax, I'm not going to fall." He grinned at me. "Come on. I dare you, lean over."

I shook my head. "No way."

"Why not?"

"It's dangerous." I edged up to the railings, now feeling very uneasy. I had bad experiences with high up places as a child, in particular when an older sibling or relative was involved; pushing me closer towards the edge then yanking me back quickly whilst screaming "Saved your life!" was one of their favourite games.

Takigawa gave me a look. "We're not going to fall."

"No one thinks they're going to fall, and people still do." I peered over the edge, down at the miniature people who walked on the streets below.

Then something caught my eye.

"Wait a minute." I got on my knees and snaked my hand through the railings.

"What are you doing?" Takigawa asked, bemused.

"I think…I saw something…" My hand groped around the outside of the balcony, beneath the railings. When my fingers brushed something, I knew I had been right.

"I've found something. But…" I strained my hand, but to no avail. "I can't…reach…"

"Here, let me try." Takigawa knelt beside me and reached down. With ease, he ripped something off the outside of the balcony and brought back his hand.

"Got it." A plastic wallet filled with papers, with layers of masking tape across it, was gripped in his hand.

Back inside the apartment, Lin opened the plastic wallet cautiously, and pulled out the wad of papers. The wallet was covered in dust and grime, and as he shook out the papers, I saw that some were covered in mould and mildew. They must have been very old.

Lin flicked through them. "A lot of these are illegible. They've been exposed to the weather for too long, even inside the plastic case. The remaining ones are either in Japanese or in English."

Kazuya nodded in understanding, taking a selection of the papers from Lin. He scanned through them.

"…Well…this is interesting…" He murmured.

"What?" Takigawa asked. "Does it mention Mattaku?"

"…No…But it does mention something else." Kazuya passed the paper to me.

"…It's a missing person's report." I read the notice. A picture of a man, with ice blue eyes, was on the front. From his appearance, particularly his red hair, I immediately knew he was a westerner. Strangely, the picture had been circled repeatedly in a red biro, and a number had been written beside it and underlined several times.

"Matthew Forcit, age 31. There's a number next to his profile picture…11 8 0 17. It looks like he went missing 2 years ago, while he was in Japan…wait a minute." I stared at the information. "He's an FBI agent."

"What?" Takigawa's eyes widened. "FBI?"

"Yeah, he was investigating a case and he just…vanished. He was last seen in Tokyo, looking for a man called…" I exhaled sharply. "…Dimitri Chekskov."

"Wasn't that the man mentioned in Howe-san's report? The one who saw another patient being abducted?"

"Yeah. That was him." I read on. "He said he was investigating the matters surrounding Chekskov's transfer, when he disappeared."

"What was an FBI agent doing in Japan?" Takigawa asked in bewilderment.

"It's very strange. What's more, why would an FBI agent be investigating such a matter? And in a different country?" Kazuya frowned. "This is very unusual indeed. Carry on reading the other papers."

Flicking to the next sheet, I saw that it was written in Japanese this time. The only English was the name 'Matthew Forcit'. "Ok…um…it's some kind of form…?"

"What do you mean?" Takigawa peered over my shoulder. "Oh, I get you…like a form you fill out when you're at the hospital or something? Except it's a lot more brief."

"Yeah. It has 'name', 'age', 'gender', and 'information'."

This time, Takigawa read it out. "It says, 'Matthew Forcit, 31, male, U.S citizen. No family. FBI agent. Suffering from…Bipolar Disorder." He frowned. "Special patient…Treatment B needed…?"

"What does that mean?" I wondered.

"Hey…underneath the paragraph, there's a number…12 9 1 18…"

"That's the same as the one on the missing person's report." I pointed out.

Kazuya frowned, but said nothing. I flicked to the next piece of paper. It was written in English again.

"This is an…autopsy report." I scanned through the information, which spread across several pages. "There's a lot here."

"Can I look?" I passed the papers to Kazuya. His eyes darted back and forth swiftly as he read the information. Within about five minutes, he had finished.

"…This is…" His brow was furrowed. For a moment, he just stared at the paper. When he looked up, his eyes were narrowed.

"John. Recount to me exactly what you were told by the couple who found you at the river."

His request seemed a bit strange, but I did not dare question it as his eyes bore intently into me. As I described the account, his face became more and more troubled. Not only that, but Lin was watching me very carefully too, and while his face gave nothing away, his gaze was fixed on me.

The second I had finished, Kazuya grabbed me by the wrists and pulled me towards him. He then began to unbutton my shirt.

"Woah, Kazuya, what are you doing?!" I tried to step away, but he grabbed me by my wrist.

"The autopsy report talked about a woman who had been found wondering through a village outside Tokyo. She had been severely beaten and was suffering from dehydration, malnutrition and hypothermia. Before she passed out, she managed to say that she had been wondering around a forest for the past week. However, after falling unconscious, she went through cardiac arrest and passed away. No one was able to identify the woman, who was aged around 27, and her DNA did not match anyone in the missing person's database. In the autopsy examination, the full extents of her beating was revealed to the pathologist who did the examination. But what really caught the pathologist's eye was a number on the woman's back. It had been branded onto her."

"What?" Kazuya finished unbuttoning my shirt and pulled it off, before turning me around roughly. Most of the bandages were gone, apart from a few around my shoulders and back. I had not taken them off, as Doctor Nakumura had told me the wounds underneath would take a month or so to heal.

"The couple who had found you said that you had been wearing a blue uniform of some kind, similar to that worn by hospital patients. A blue shirt and trousers. Yes?"

"Yes…" I did not like where this was going.

"What's underneath these bandages?"

"I don't know, I was never told."

"Pass me some scissors." My heart sped up when I realised what Kazuya wanted to do.

"Naru-kun, are you sure that's a good idea?" I heard Takigawa say. "I mean, shouldn't you ask a doctor first or something?"

Kazuya did not reply. Instead, he began to cut away at the bandages. Reluctantly, I stood still, as the cold metal of the scissors brushed my skin and made me shiver. When the last of the bandages fell away, Kazuya stood back.

He inhaled sharply.

Takigawa hissed, "Holy shit…"

Lin remained silent, but placed a hand on my shoulder.

"What is it?" I asked him, although I already knew the answer.

"…There's a number on your back."

I shut my eyes, swallowing the fear that was creeping up my throat. "I-Is it…has it been b-branded…on?"

"Yes."

It was only through deep breathing and every inch of effort I could scrounge that stopped me from throwing up. Someone had branded me. Oh, God. I felt defiled and desecrated. My back itched and the skin crawled. Reaching my hand down it, I tentatively felt the area where the bandages had been. At first, the skin was smooth. Then my finger ran over something rougher. I retracted my hand at once.

"Umm…I need some air…" My voice displayed a calmness that did not exist.

Kazuya passed me my shirt and I hastily pulled it on, before walking out to the balcony. This was so messed up. Part of me was still trying to comprehend what I had just learnt, let alone what it meant. I had been branded. Branded. How? By who? Why? What did it all mean? Oh God, this was so twisted. I leant against the railings, almost gasping for breath. What did this all mean? The missing detective had a number. The woman from the autopsy report had a number. And I had a number. What did it all mean?

"John-kun."

I started, as Takigawa walked up to me. "You ok?"

"Not really." I wasn't going to lie.

"Look…listen, we're going to find out what happened. And we're going to make the bastard that did this pay. I promise."

"How can you be so sure?"

"No one can do this much evil and get away with it."

I didn't reply to this, so he continued.

"We're getting closer. This information can give us a lot to go on." Despite his reassurance, these words brought me no comfort.

"Anyway, Kazuya thinks we should go now."

Sighing, I nodded. "Ok. Let's go."

As we left the apartment, Kazuya was noticeably quiet. He did not say anything more on the matter of the number. In fact, he did not say a single word altogether, leaving me to try and guess what exactly had driven him to look at my back. There was a single idea at the back of my mind, but I didn't want to acknowledge it. Instead, I tried to think how we could use the information from Kazuki's apartment to help us.

"Do you think we'll be able to find out more about this woman? It didn't say who she was, did it?" Takigawa asked.

"No, she was never identified." Kazuya finally spoke up. "As for that FBI agent…I would be surprised if we couldn't find out more about him."

"But surely it would be difficult for us to get any information on him? He's from the U.S, for one, and I don't think the FBI would be happy about us poking around an agent's history." Takigawa pointed out as we walked back to the van, with people striding past us on the streets.

"Well, I could try and contact Sinead again…" I suggested. "She might be able to look into that for us. The only problem is, she hasn't been picking up her phone recently."

Kazuya remained silent, and his face was…taut, almost, as Takigawa asked,

"Oh, your cousin? Why?"

"She's…a liaison officer, and she's worked with the FBI quite a few times, so it shouldn't be a problem for her."

"Do you know why she isn't picking up her phone?" Takigawa asked me.

"I'm not –"

Our eyes met. Across the road, in a throng of people, standing perfectly still as everyone bustled past him, almost unnoticeable. There he was. His mouth twitched into a smile as he watched me.

"Hey, John-kun, are you –"

"Colleague-san." I breathed the name. "He's there. He's over there."

"What?" Takigawa looked wildly for him, trying to see past the string of traffic that stalled down the road. But as the cars cleared, he was gone.

"Damn it!" Takigawa shouted. "Where is he?"

Lin looked across the street. "He can't be far. Kazuya, stay here with Father Brown. Takigawa-san, come with me."

There was no time to protest as Takigawa and Lin dashed across the road, dodging between the various cars and vans that went past.

"He was there?" Kazuya did not break his calm exterior.

"Yeah, he was just across the road…"

"Why do you think he would be out in the open like this? If he's so careful, then why would he be here in broad daylight?"

"I don't know, maybe…" A realisation dawned on me. "Wait. What if it's a trap? What if Lin-san and Takigawa-kun get hurt?"

Kazuya frowned. "That's a troubling possibility, and a likely one at that. Stay here."

"What?"

"Make sure you're constantly in the open, don't go anywhere that someone might not be able to see you." Without another word, Kazuya took off in pursuit of Takigawa and Lin.

I stood where I was, waiting anxiously for the three of them to return. Would they be ok? Had the colleague already hurt them? I tried to push these thoughts out of my mind. They would be fine. They would be perfectly fine. No matter how much I tried to tell myself this, I could not believe it. Had Kazuki's apartment been bugged all along? Is that how the colleague knew where we were?

"I really thought you would learn to be more careful."

I could not move a muscle before I felt a pair of hands at my waist. My entire body paralysed.

"Do you really think the trap was set to get those two _grunts_?" A familiar voice whispered startlingly close to my ear, enough to make me shiver and for my back to start prickling.

"Well, it would be very handy if we could just do away with them, but orders are orders." It was a man's voice, one that I had heard before. "No. It was set for you."

"Who are you?" I did not dare make a move; for some reason, I knew that fighting back would only end badly for me. Not now, anyway.

"Me? Don't you remember me?" No one seemed to notice what was happening as they walked past, or they pretended not to notice.

"Oh, right, of course. You have amnesia." The man told me mockingly. "Well, let me tell you." The grip around my waist tightened.

"My name is Saburou. I'm sure you've heard of me."

At once, my hand flew to my neck. This made the man laugh.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"What do you want?"

"I heard you found out about my…welcoming gift."

"…Was it you? Was it you who…left the number on my back?"

"Yes. Now I want to ask _you_ something. Where did you find those papers?"

So not all of our conversation had been overheard… "Why would I tell you that?"

"I would strongly advice you not to disagree with me, John." Saburou grabbed my wrist and twisted it behind me in a painful position. "Where did you find those papers?"

"I'm not telling."

My defiance somehow made Saburou hesitate, and I took the opportunity to struggle from his grip, kicking him in the shin as I did so.

"Stay away from me." I hissed at him, turning around and seeing his face for the first time. The first thing I noticed was his hands. They were scarred and gnarled, with faint lines running across his fingers and the backs of his hands. His hair was closely shaved to his skull, but there was something almost peaceful about his face. It showed no malice or violence, although his eyes said otherwise. It was a face I had seen before.

"…Ok. I have to leave, anyway. Next time, it won't be so easy." His retreat surprised me, and he simply turned and walked away. Within seconds, he had turned the corner and disappeared.

In that moment, the dim memories in my mind connected, and I could remember where I had seen and heard this man before. He was the man who had chased me over the edge of the cliff, the man from the abandoned house. Now I knew his name – Saburou.

"John-kun!" I turned around, to see Takigawa running towards me. "Are you ok?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Are you ok? Did he hurt you?" I was relieved to see him.

"No. We lost him. I'm sorry." Behind him, I saw Lin and Kazuya approaching. "Hey…are you sure you're ok? You look pretty shaken up."

"Umm…" I swallowed. "While you were gone…a man came and he wanted to know where we found those papers –"

"Wait, did he hurt you?" Takigawa sounded angry already.

"No, I'm fine. But he's working for colleague-san. His name is Saburou."

Takigawa narrowed his eyes. "Isn't that the man who…"

I rubbed my neck. "Yeah. That was him."

Now, Lin and Kazuya had reached us. Immediately, I asked,

"Lin-san, do you still have those papers?"

To my relief, he handed the plastic wallet to me.

"Good. We need to make sure we keep an eye on these. Colleague-san wants them."

"How do you know this?"

"I'll explain later. Can we just…go? Somewhere safer? Please?"

"Of course." Kazuya turned to go back to the car, but there was still something I wanted to ask him.

"Kazuya-san…" He paused, and faced me. "Why did you want to know about what I was wearing when Rin-san and Hayate-san found me? Do you think that…I was…"

"I don't want to jump to any conclusions until I am certain." Kazuya failed to give the answer I had been dreading. "Now, I think we should go."

I looked around me one last time. Wherever Saburou and the colleague were, I couldn't see them now. What did they want with the papers we had found? And to what lengths would they go to get them?

Most importantly, how much longer did I have left until the colleague decided my time was up?

"…Yeah. Let's go."


	20. Chapter 20: Peril

**(A/N): Happy 20th Chapter! Wow, I can't believe we've reached 20 already! Although, this chapter felt like it took a while to write...**

**Anyway, thank you so much for the reviews! I really appreciate everything you've been writing :) I'll try and keep updating at a regular basis, but now I'm**** back at school, I'll have to spend a lot of time doing homework and revision (my GCSEs are this year - eeek!) **

**Thank you so much for reading my fanfic, for all the reviews, favourites and follows, and for sticking with me all this time. Things are heating up...**

* * *

For the rest of the evening, I spent most of my time with my hand down my back. The information we had found out plagued me; I was constantly thinking about the FBI agent, the woman in the autopsy report, and the mark on my back.

A scar. Branded there. It would never go away. Maybe the mark would fade over time, but it would never fully disappear. The scar would always stay.

At first, I could not touch it. The thought of the dead, burnt skin repelled me. I had managed to catch a glimpse of it in a mirror, the red, angry mark spelling out a number. 9. Yet as the evening went on, the mark began to irritate me. It felt painful, like someone was jabbing hot needles into it. As it got worse and worse, the pain becoming more unbearable, I found myself scratching the skin where the mark was. Somehow, the pain of that stopped the needle-like pain, and was much more bearable. I kept on scratching the mark, dragging my fingernails roughly back and forth the skin, until I withdrew my hand and saw the traces of blood on my fingertips. Even so, I could not stop myself, and the blood on my fingers became thicker and thicker.

Takigawa noticed, of course. Back in his apartment, Kazuya and Lin had joined us as we tried to grapple with what we knew and discover more information relating to Mattaku. We had tried to ring Sinead, but again, she would not pick up. Therefore, we had decided to set to work with identifying the woman with the number on her back, based on the information in the autopsy report. So far, not even Lin's thorough research had yielded any results. On the other hand, we had had a lot more luck with the FBI agent.

"I recognise him." Kazuya had been saying. "The man in the picture, I recognise him. I'm sure I've met him somewhere before. The missing persons' report stated he disappeared two years ago, yes?"  
"Yeah, that was it. In September, I think." I answered.

Kazuya frowned as he overlooked Lin typing on a laptop. "…Lin. Do you remember where we saw this man?"

"Unfortunately, I can't. We have met him before, though."

This information was intriguing. Takigawa immediately began to inquire. "You've met him before? But why would you be talking to an FBI agent?"

"That is completely unrelated to what we are investigating here." Kazuya made it clear this was not open for discussion, so Takigawa dropped the issue.

"Kazuya." Lin had stopped tying and was looking at a website now. No, not a website…it was a long document, filled with information. "It looks like Forcit-san wasn't just investigating the circumstances behind Chekskov-san's transfer."

"What do you mean?"

"He was researching…a smuggling ring, it looks like."

Kazuya leaned closer to him, peering at the screen. As he read it, he murmured,

"Yes…it looks like it got very messy. A few cases of murder here and there, but evidence always had a habit of going missing. Most of it was only circumstantial anyway, so the suspects never had a hard time escaping conviction. But Forcit-san and his partner finally managed to find a witness that would help bring down one of the main players in this smuggling ring. And that witness…was Andrew Williams."

"Wait…that's the man that Chekskov-san saw getting 'transferred', right?" Takigawa asked.

"Yes. It looks like, three years ago, Forcit-san and his partner finally managed to convince Williams-san to testify against this suspect, but when he was diagnosed with severe Diogenes syndrome, he had to be admitted to a psychiatric ward. It looks like it was so bad, he was on the point of physical collapse and mental breakdown."

"What is Diogenes syndrome?" Takigawa asked.

"It's a disorder where an individual begins to severely neglect themselves." I explained, scratching the mark. "They often become apathetic and socially withdrawn. Sometimes, they even start hoarding garbage. However, they often refuse help, so it is not usually diagnosed until the person begins to reach the worst stages of the disorder. This generally happens to people who have experienced stress, although it normally only occurs much later on in life. I think Williams-san was only in his mid thirties, but there have been exceptions."

"Oh, ok…wait, but then why was Williams-san in Kyoto Psychiatric Ward? I mean, he sounds like he's from somewhere in the west, right?" Takigawa guessed.

"I believe he was English." Kazuya confirmed.

"Then why was he admitted to a ward in Japan?"

"It looks like he had been living in Japan for some time, and he witnessed the incident while in the UK visiting some relatives. He had already travelled back to Japan when Forcit-san began to persuade him to testify."

"Ok, then what happened?"

"They were waiting until Williams-san was in a more 'stable condition' to testify, but he was 'transferred' before that happened." Kazuya explained. "It seems like Forcit-san then received a message stating that Williams-san had refused to testify again. Forcit-san tried to contact Williams-san directly, but he was unable to, it seems."

"So…do you think he heard about the incident at Kyoto Psychiatric Ward, when Williams-san and Chekskov-san disappeared, and he began trying to find Chekskov-san and ask exactly what happened?" Takigawa asked.

"Yes. Then Forcit-san disappeared."

"What about his partner? You mentioned he was investigating the matter with a partner, right"? I asked.

Kazuya nodded. "Yes. Her name was Sophia Shole. It looks like she was originally the one who began investigating the smuggling ring and trying to persuade Williams-san, and Forcit-san was partnered with her later on."

"So, she was an FBI agent as well?"

"Yes."

"Do you think we can speak to her? Maybe she knows what's going on." Takigawa asked.

Lin typed briefly on the laptop. "It seems not. She hasn't said a word for two years."

"What?"

"Around the time Forcit-san disappeared, she was in a large car accident. Though she didn't die, she ended up in a coma and hasn't woken since the incident. The cause of the crash is unknown, partly due to the fact the car was destroyed beyond examination in the pile up, but I think we can assume it was another case of 'failed brakes'."

"Where is she now?" Kazuya asked.

"In Boston, in a hospital."

"We can assume that she will be safe for the time being, then; colleague-san has no reason to go after her now."

"So…we have no leads." Takigawa pointed out bluntly.

"Not exactly." Kazuya stared at me, and his gaze made me feel uncomfortable.

"Woah." Takigawa did not sound happy. "I hope you're not planning to do your hypnotic suggestion, are you? Remember what happened last time!"

"No, I was not. On the contrary, what I suggest is simple. Sleep."

"Huh?" I tilted my head in confusion.

"You seem to remember things more when you are asleep. So sleep."

"I can't sleep now, it's only 5 o'clock." I pointed out.

Kazuya did not answer, but instead pulled on his coat and headed to the door. Lin closed his laptop and followed him.

"We're going to do a little bit of research. Make sure you stay alert." With that, he and Lin left. Takigawa hurried to lock the door again when they were gone.

"Now I really know how Mai-kun feels." I remarked, scratching the mark.

It was later on when Takigawa began to ask about the mark, or rather, how I kept on scratching at it.

"Is it irritating?" He asked suddenly as we ate a rice dish.

"Um, I guess." I quickly tried to rub the blood from my fingers, running them against my jeans in desperation.

It was in vain. "Hey, is that blood?"

"Ah, no." Panicked, I closed my hand into a fist, trying to hide the traces of blood on my fingers. Takigawa did not look convinced by my lie.

"Can I see your hand?" His tone was calm, yet firm.

"Umm, why?"

"If you've nothing to hide, then there shouldn't be a problem."

Reluctantly, I slowly opened up my hand and showed him. He took it and examined my fingertips.

"…You've been scratching at that mark, haven't you?" He already knew the answer.

"…Yes."

"You really shouldn't do that, you know."

"I know." I sighed. "It's just…it feels…"

"It's all in your head." Takigawa reassured me. "Just try to stop thinking about it."

I pursed my lips. "It's not that simple."

"Why do you keep on scratching it, then?"

"It hurts. A lesser pain distracts me from it."

Takigawa frowned. "How does that work?"

"You…never mind. You wouldn't understand."

Later on, when it was completely dark outside and sleep was beckoning me, I found something in my bag that made my heart jolt with guilt. A pair of black, leather gloves. They were slightly bigger than my normal hand size. Kazuki's gloves. I held them in my hands, just staring at them. Somehow, these were absolute proof for me, proof that this mad situation was not a nightmare, but reality. Maybe, somewhere along the lines, I had begun to doubt myself, doubt the credibility of all this. Was I in some strange coma dream? Was I making this all up? Was it all in my head? Not just the pain in the scars, but everything I remembered? No. These gloves proved it. I wasn't mad. Whether I liked it or not, something had happened to me.

As I curled up in the corner, ignoring the bed spread out on the floor, I held the gloves close to me.

Something had happened to me. Something bad. But I knew that my co-workers…no, my friends, would not allow it again.

Takigawa was worried about John. The young man had been very quiet ever since the brand on his back was discovered at Kazuki's apartment. Well, of course he would be, after finding out something like that. But his behaviour…scratching the mark? Takigawa could tell he had made it bleed, pretty badly. As John had been changing before they slept, Takigawa had glimpsed him standing in the bathroom, his shirt off, dabbing some antiseptic onto the skin, where he had scratched it raw, before hastily bandaging it up again. Takigawa did not understand why John was doing this. Was it fear? Regardless of whether fear was a factor or not, Takigawa knew it was unhealthy to keep these kinds of feelings bottled up. Yet at the same time, trying to pry into these fears was dangerous. Thinking back to the incident when Kazuya attempted hypnotic suggestion…trying to delve into these fears would only cause John harm. It was a difficult situation to solve.

The next day, Kazuya had suggested that John try to remain in his normal routine as much as possible, to prevent the constant feeling of wariness and anxiety that he would get if he stayed cooped up all day. Today, John had gone to Church for a service, albeit apprehensively. Takigawa could sense his unease at being so exposed. Despite this, Kazuya was still convinced that it would be healthier for him.

Now, Takigawa waited not in the Church, but outside it. After the Kenji incident, Takigawa felt…uncomfortable being in the Church grounds. The fact that the body of a child had been undetected for 30 years unnerved him. What's more, Takigawa felt almost as if he was…trespassing. This site was not of his religion. He had no right to be there. And his presence felt intruding and disrespectful.

The time was 4 o'clock, and the service had only just begun, according to what John had told him. Leaning against the Church gates, he found himself watching the hands on his clock inch slowly by, waiting for the service to end. Whatever Kazuya said, Takigawa could not help but feel uneasy about waiting out in the open. This vulnerability was hard to shake, no matter what he told himself.

The service was only about half way through when the car came stalking own the road. Automatically, Takigawa did not pay it much heed, although he watched it with a brief curiosity as he wondered where it might be going. It was white and black, with a red light on top – a police car. However, the siren was not on and it was not driving particularly fast, so its business was not urgent.

It was only when the car parked outside of the Church did Takigawa feel a spark of nervousness inside of him. The car opened, and two officers got out, clad in their uniform. With them was a man, wearing a white jacket. The officers began to walk towards the Church gates, while the non-uniformed man waited by the car. But as they approached, Takigawa realised with almost anticipated dread that they were not interested in the Church. Instead, they stopped in front of Takigawa.

"Takigawa, Houshou?" The first to speak was a tall, thin woman. Her hair was tightly drawn into a bun, and though her posture created an impression of confidence, the way she kept on glancing at the man without uniform suggested otherwise.

"Yes, that's me. Is there a problem?"

"Tokyo Police Force." The woman's companion, a shorter man, spoke with a tone that displayed his uneasiness clearly, as he held up his badge. However, it was not one of fear, like the woman's. No, from the way his eyes were solely fixed on his companion made Takigawa guess that the woman had more experience than him, as she held up her own badge also. Perhaps he had very little at all.

"What about?"

It was the woman who took control of the unofficial interrogation. "Where were you on 25th April?"

At the question, Takigawa froze, his heart and body paralysed with panic. That was the day he, John, Mai and Yasuhara had gone to the abandoned house.

"Umm…that day, I was with a co-worker. We had a few things to finish in the office." The woman gave no hint as to whether or not she believed him. She went on to ask,

"Well, do you recognise this house?" She held up a picture. It was the abandoned house.

Takigawa swore in his head. "Uh…oh, I had a case there once."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah."

"The thing is, we have reason to believe you went there after your case, without permission. We believe you have been trespassing."

Takigawa tried to feign shock, while hiding his anxiety.

"What?!"

"For one, your fingerprints were found there."

How had they gotten a record of his fingerprints? "Well, there would be. Like I said, I was there on a case, with permission, so of course my fingerprints would be there." Takigawa seized the flaw with relief. However, it was short-lived, as the woman went on to say,

"That's not all. A car was spotted outside the house during a break-in, and the registration plate was taken. It matches yours." Takigawa's heart sank. "Houshou Takigawa, you are under arrest." The woman pulled out a pair of handcuffs, and locked Takigawa's hands together.

"But…" He could not say anything, in sheer disbelief.

"You'll have to come with us, Takigawa-san."

Takgiawa did not dare resist to protest, although his mind held a thousand arguments, and he struggled to contain them. He allowed the police men to lead him across the road, where the man by the car was waiting. As they approached, the man looked up and stared at Takigawa, his arms tightly crossed.

"…Just him?" He asked bluntly, addressing the officers but not lifting his gaze from Takigawa.

"I'm sorry, sir?"

"I just expected there to be a few more people." Takigawa realised he meant Mai, John and Yasuhara.

"No evidence was come to light that there were other people." The woman, although she did not look at him directly, refused to sound as if she lacked control in the situation.

The man said nothing, and looked Takigawa up and down one last time. Irritated, Takigawa did exactly the same to the man. Tall and sturdy, his face was a contrast to his muscled arms and scarred hands; it was gentle, and somehow violence coming from this man seemed unlikely, despite the gnarled hands that suggested otherwise. Strangest of all, the man wore a lab coat. Was he a doctor? If so, what was a doctor doing with the police?

The man turned around and got inside the car. Takigawa was pushed in after him.

The questioning room was cold and dark. A light hung above Takigawa, but was faded and dim, casting the faintest of shadows that made little impact to the darkness of the room. It was somewhat intimidating. Then again, Takigawa found himself wondering, was it meant to be? It was a thought he did not think about for long, as his mind was racing with other worries and anxieties.

Left to wait for what felt like a very long time, Takigawa was beginning to let the fear creep inside him and scatter panic through him when the door finally opened. Into the room came the female officer and the man with the lab coat. The presence of the presumed doctor puzzled Takigawa, but he was too distressed to notice it particularly.

The female officer sat down opposite Takigawa, holding a note pad and pen. She had told him her name briefly, as had the male officer, although Takigawa had already forgotten it. The man with the lab coat had said very little, and his identity remained unclear. Right now, he stood leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, watching everything in interest.

"Takigawa Houshou." The officer wrote hastily on her note pad before she started. "I want to ask you about your movements on the 25th April." She did not hesitate to start the interrogation.

"I want a lawyer." Takigawa spoke bluntly.

"You have the right to one." The officer acknowledged. "Meanwhile, answer my questions: where were you on April 25th?"

"Fine…" Takigawa saw he did not have much of a choice. "Wait, what time?"

"The whole day."

"Ok…at about 10am, I went to the office where I work."

"What is this office called?"

"Shibuya Psychic Research." The officer wrote this down, and Takigawa continued.

"Then I went to a café with some of my co-workers. We stayed there for…an hour? Then we headed back to the office. I stayed there for a while, then at around 6, I went to a scrap heap with one of my co-workers. We arrived back, and headed home."

"Do you have any proof of that?" The officer challenged.

"Yes. Ask any of my co-workers."

"How do I know that they aren't lying?"

"Why would they be lying?"

"To protect you. Also, there is the fact that your car was spotted at the house in question."

"Well, maybe someone made a mistake when they reported the car plate." Takigawa argued.

The officer was about to speak when the door opened. Her companion, the male officer, poked his head into the room.

"Um…Fujita-sensei?" His voice was quiet and nervous.

Fujita-sensei, as she was apparently called, exhaled impatiently. "Yes, Toma-san?"

"I, um…you're needed for a few minutes." Rolling her eyes, the officer stood up and followed her companion out of the room.

It was not long before the man wearing the lab coat stirred. He stood upright, and walked over to the table. Pulling out the chair, he sat down, and crossed his arms once more, staring at Takigawa.

Irked, Tagiawa muttered, "…and who might you be?"

For a moment, the man ignored his question. Only after a minute had passed did he speak up.

"My name in Manzo Ueda. And you are Houshou Takigawa."

Takigawa waited for the man to explain himself further, but he did not.

"…You're not a police officer." Takigawa pointed out.

"No, I am not."

"Then why are you here?"

"There is something I am interested in." The man declared vaguely.

"Oh? And what might that be?"

Again, the man remained silent for a little while. Eventually, he spoke up.

"I am interested in your friend."

"I have a lot of friends. You might want to narrow it down a bit for me."

The man smirked slightly, for a fleeting second.

"John Brown."

"…I'm sorry?" Takigawa struggled to clamp down on his shock and panic.

"The Australian priest. John Brown."

This man…did he work for the colleague? Takigawa swallowed his dread.

"Why are you interested in him?"

Smirking, the man leaned back in the chair. "Haven't you realised?"

Now, anger began to rise up in Takigawa. "I don't know what you mean." He muttered through gritted teeth.

"It's not what you think. Not what you think at all." The man leaned forwards again. "You think that I'm going to try and hurt your friend, don't you? Or something ludicrous along those lines."

At these words, Takigawa froze.

"If that's the case, then you are a fool. Don't you realise how long you've been tricked for? How long you've been played?"

"What?"

"You see, you're a nice man. I can tell that. But you're no expert. Whereas I am."

"Expert on what?"

"You're a victim. You've been pulled into this madness. Trust me when I say this."

Once more, Takigawa felt irritation gnawing at his bones. "Why should I trust you? Who are you?"

"I told you. I am Manzo Ueda. And it is within your best interest to trust me."

He glanced down at his watch. "Hmm. I better get going, I think. I have a job to do." He rose from his seat, then hesitated.

"One more thing. I would reconsider what you know about your so-called 'friend'. Reconsider this mad situation. And ask yourself the questions you've been doubting and hiding. Whatever you thought you knew about your friend is wrong. And there's something wrong about this situation. You're a clever man. You'll figure it out."

With that, he left the room, leaving Takigawa perplexed.

Mass was over, and I had just left the Church and was walking briskly through the courtyard when my phone began to ring. Checking the screen, I realised it was Takigawa.

"Hello? Wait a minute, I'm almost at the gate."

"I'm not." His tone was sullen.

"What?"

"I've been arrested."

I almost dropped the phone in shock. "What?! Why? What happened?"

"Remember April 25th?" That was the day we broke into the abandoned house… "Well, someone reported my car being at the abandoned house. I've been arrested for trespassing."

"Oh my God…but-but they don't have strong evidence, do they?"

"Apparently they do."

"Oh God…what…what should we do? What will they do?"

"Well, I'm going to need to get bailed out. I'm in a holding cell right now."

"What? This is terrible, how much is the bail? I'll come to the station –"

"There's no need, I already called Lin-san. He's on his way, and then he said he'll go and pick you up. In the meantime, stay where you are. Stay in the Church. Don't leave, just wait for Lin-san to pick you up. Got it?"

"Ok."

"Right, I've got to go. Bye." He hung up quickly.

I waited anxiously in the Church, sitting on one of the pews. No one was there apart from me. At the votive, a multitude of candles were flickering gently, as the flames ate away at the wax. The stained glass windows were dim and cast faded colours onto the floor of the Church, duller and paler than normal from the lack of light outside. It was cold, and I wrapped my jacket around me tightly. In the Church, my shirt felt much thinner than normal. The stone walls did not do much for warmth, and the only heat source was the slowly dying candles.

All I could think about was poor Takigawa. I could not believe he had been arrested, and I felt responsible. It was because of me that we went to the abandoned house. The reason we investigated was because of my situation. And now, Takigawa was in a holding cell. I knew that, it Japan, there were no Miranda rights, or none that I had heard of, and while suspects had the right to a lawyer and were told this, often an interrogation would take place without one being present. What's more, bails were not taken lightly, and holding cells were much more secure than in other countries.

Agitated, I stood up and paced down the aisle towards the altar. Automatically bowing before walking onto the raised platform, I headed past the altar and to the stained glass windows behind it. The lights slid onto my skin, darting away as I walked by. Standing right by the windows, I peered through the glass. Outside, I could see no one.

Sighing, I turned around.

Promptly, I froze. A man was standing by the doors, watching me with his arms crossed. He wore a lab coat.

Already filled with alarm, I called hesitantly.

"…Hello? Can I help you?"

The man said nothing. He began to walk forwards. In response, I walked to the altar, my hand on a heavy candle-holder. Just in case.

"Huh." As the man got nearer, my blood ran cold. I recognised him. It was Saburou.

"How paranoid of you. Do you really think I would just openly attack you in a place of worship?"

"Yes, I do." I shot back. Smirking, Saburou came closer. My grip tightened on the candle-holder.

Finally, he reached the altar, only two meters away from me. "You've learnt well, I see. But you're wrong if you think I'm here to kill you."

I laughed bitterly. "Really? From what I've been told, I'm very sceptical of that."

"You're right. I look forward to killing you, after what happened." He smiled without his eyes. "You know, the last time we saw each other, you almost killed me."

His words panicked and confused me, but I hid it. "Well, it's a shame I almost killed you. I would sleep a lot better at night if I really had."

Saburou tutted. "Such violent words form the priest of a religion based on peace and love. I'm surprised. To be fair, I did try to kill you first. Strangulation didn't work. I should have just shot you in the head. Now, there are two ways we can do this." Saburou walked forwards, and at that moment, something in my brain clicked. A reaction fell into place. My instinct was to attack. Not from malice, but from fear. A survival instinct. I lifted the candle-holder and swung it around in one swift movement. It contacted with Saburou's head. It made him stagger, but did not fell him. Instead, he lunged back with frightening speed that took me by surprise. He tried to swipe for my arm, but I moved back and retaliated with the candle-holder again. This time, he expected it, and avoided it narrowly. I saw the side of his head was gushing with blood. Baring his teeth, he lashed out. The blow did not hurt me much, but pushed me back into the altar. The candle-holder, old and damaged from my previous blow, snapped in two as it collided with the stone.

Grinning, Saburou seized the opportunity. He lunged forwards grabbed me, then turned me around roughly. His arms locked around my throat.

"All I need to do is move my arm, and I'll break your neck." He whispered into my ear.

Struggling, I kicked at his legs, although it made no difference.

Saburou swore. "You know, if it had been anyone else you were hitting with that candle, they would be out on the floor. If you'd hit them in the right place, they'd be dead. It looks like you forgot that I'm a bit different."

To this, I dragged my hand across his face, digging into his skin with my nails. He did not make a noise, even though there was blood underneath my fingernails.

"It won't work." Saburou tightened his grip, and I stopped struggling. "Whatever you do, it won't work. You see…"

He whispered in my ear.

"Your time is up."

Something sharp pricked my shoulder. Everything slipped into darkness.

_Today is the 17__th__ February. I am walking home from the hospital, and the night air is freezing. A few fading street lights are the only things lighting up the streets as I walk to the bus stop. This is always the most dreaded part of the day for me – walking home in the dark. The fact it is dark is not really the problem; the people I sometimes encounter during this walk is what worries me. Sometimes, I walk with another nurse who has a late night shift, but today I am alone. After five minutes that seem to stretch for an hour, I finally arrive at the bus stop. No one is there, apart from a man waiting with his arms crossed impatiently. _

_Shivering, I pull my jacket tighter around me, put on Kazuki's gloves, and wait with the man, standing a safe distance from him. _

_The bus is late. Normally, it is only a minute before it arrives, but it has already been another five minutes and I am still waiting._

_The man next to me speaks up. "Is the bus normally this late?"_

"_No."_

_Sighing, the man scowls into the darkness. His hair is shaved close to his head, almost military in style. _

"_Where are you from?" He asks, giving me a curious look. "Not from here."_

_I shuffle uncomfortably. "Australia." _

"_You do know how to use the buses here, right?" His tone is very patronising._

"_Yes." I try to hide my growing unease, and keep my answers short to avoid encouraging conversation. _

_A ringing noise cuts through the air. The man reaches into his pocket and pulls out a mobile phone. _

"_Hello?" As he talks, I notice his hand. It looks like it has been scarred or cut several times, all along the back and the fingers. As he moves his other hand, I see it is the same._

"_Yeah, it's me." He glances at me, and I avert my gaze. For a while, he does not say anything, instead listening intently to whoever is on the other end. Eventually, he walks a few meters away from the bus stop and begins speaking in such fast Japanese that I can't quite catch what he is saying – not at this hour, anyway._

"_John?"_

_I turn around. To my surprise, Kazuki is walking up to me. What is he doing here, at this hour?_

"_Kazuki?" He reaches me. "What are you doing here?"_

"_I could ask you the same."_

"_It's 1am, I'm heading home from my shift. Why are you wondering around here?"_

"_I was, um…meeting someone."_

"_Meeting someone? At this hour?"_

"_Yeah, it was a last minute kind of thing." He is not very clear about it, and his excuse as to why he would be meeting someone at 1am in the morning is not particularly convincing. _

"_Oh…were you meant to be meeting here?"_

"_Actually, no. I was going to take a bus to our meeting place."_

"_Who is it?"_

_Before Kazuki can answer, the man with the scarred hands hangs up his phone and walks back. When he sees Kazuki, he pauses, stares at him in disbelief, and then grins._

"_Brooks-san?" He laughs. "I can't believe this."_

"_Oh…hi." Kazuki seems a lot less enthusiastic._

"_Don't tell me, you were planning to get a bus to the meeting place too?"_

"_Yeah." Kazuki smiles weakly. "This is a coincidence, isn't it?"_

_Frowning, I look between Kazuki and the man. They know each other?_

"_Wait, is this who you were planning to meet?" I ask Kazuki._

"_Yeah, it is. This is Saburou Osaki."_

_The man, Saburou, stares at me. Although he does not look bad natured, his gaze is very intent and it makes me uncomfortable._

"_Is this a friend of yours?" He asks Kazuki, without taking his eyes off of me._

"_Yes." Suddenly, Kazuki's tone is very sullen. "Yes, he is. Hey, now that you're here, shall we just head somewhere else? Instead of having to take the bus?"_

"_Ok, then. But somewhere private. We have something very…important to discuss."_

_At that moment, the bus finally arrives, and pulls up in front of the bus stop._

"_Oh, I'd better go." I turn to Kazuki. "I'll see you around."_

"_Yeah." He nods. "Be careful, ok?"_

"_I will do."_

_As I step onto the bus, I hear a snatch of conversation from the two men._

"_You've been off work for a while." Saburou Osaki says. "When are you coming back? Soon?"_

"…_Yeah. Soon, I guess. What exactly did you want to talk about?"_

_I am not able to hear much more, as the bus driver waits impatiently for me to pay. One last time, I stare distractedly out of the window. This man, Saburou…does he work with Kazuki?_

_As I watch, Saburou turns around and stares back at me. Something about his gaze makes me uncomfortable, and I avert my eyes._

_Saburou Osaki…there is something about him I do not like. Not at all._


End file.
